Morgan's Odyssey: Water
by Jack Cross
Summary: After a hunting trip goes horribly wrong, a young bow hunter named Morgan finds himself in a strange new world. A world gone mad with war. Only the Avatar can restore peace and balance, and Morgan will see it happen by any means necessary.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, Jack here with a project I really, really should not be starting. But, here I am, starting it like the foolish idiot I am. For those of you who've been reading my stuff for a while, you'll know that OC inserts are my bread and butter. I know that A:TLA has a lot of OC stories, and I do mean a lot, but I haven't found any that went the way I wanted. So this is my attempt to add a little bit of new flavor to an old formula. Hopefully you guys will find it enjoyable.**

 **I do not in any way, shape, or form own Avatar, The Last Airbender.**

 _Glacier National Park, Montana._

Jacob Morgan Wood, Morgan or Morg to his friends, was not someone most people would call heroic. In fact, if you were to ask him, he'd tell you he was probably one of the least heroic people on the planet. Doing things just because they were right wasn't in his nature.

Trotting through the underbrush of the woods was something that he found relaxing. His yearly trip into the mountains of the park was something that he always looked forward to. A chance to get away from the stresses of modern life with social media and school. It was a tradition of sorts, started by his father three years earlier.

He'd been handed a bow, a .357 revolver, a backpack with some supplies, and then sent off with little more then a wish of good luck. 'Carrying on the traditions of the peoples' had been his father's exact words when asked why. Morgan, his mother, and older brother were all members of the Blackfoot tribe, and lived on the reservation that bordered the park to the east. His father, meanwhile, was in immigrant from Ireland.

Morgan resembled his native heritage greatly, with coal black hair and a dark skin tone. He was also tall and well built for his age of sixteen, nearing seventeen years of age. A pair of faded gray cargo pants and brown hiking boots covered his lower body, while a brown t shirt and an olive drab rucksack covered his upper. A quiver full of arrows also rested across his back, safely secured between his body and the backpack.

He didn't resent his father for sending him on these yearly trips. Not like he had that first year, anyway. He'd spent the majority of the time alone, cold, scared, and hungry on the side of a mountain. Before he'd realized that he had the tools and skills to make so it wasn't like that. So rather then wait for the trip to end, he decided to own it, like he had every time since.

The bow was so that he could get food. Deer, elk, and plenty of other creatures provided meat for a couple of meals, and their hides could be used to keep warm when the temperatures plummeted at night. The revolver was for creatures that saw him as their next meal rather then vise versa, and wouldn't be taken down easily by a bow. Bears, mountain lions, wolves, there were all kinds of things in these mountains that wouldn't give a second thought to eating him.

So here he was, heading for his favorite spot. It was a rather large spring fed pond, hidden by the woods and tucked away near some cliffs. The only way to get to it was to follow a small, yet powerful mountain stream that flowed down the mountain from the pond. A small cave in the cliffs made for a good place to set up camp, the spring and stream provided a good water supply, and there was plenty of game to hunt in the woods.

Looking up at the wall of stone before him, Morgan gave himself a small smile. A waterfall fell from the top of the cliff, ending in a rather large pool and a pile of rocks. This was the final leg of his hike before he reached his secret spot. No one else knew about this place. It was his home away from home, a place where he could do whatever he wanted and be himself.

Rather than climb the cliff, Morgan made his way off to his right and began to climb a goat path. It was small and narrow, but you wouldn't have known about it unless you knew it was there. Making his way up the path, the young hunter felt himself getting more and more excited. The sooner he got there, the sooner he could do what he wanted, and not be lugging around all of his gear all the time.

Finally, he reached the top and lay eyes upon the secret pond. Before him, the stream that fed the waterfall flowed fast and strong. It had carved itself it's own path into the solid stone it was flowing through, a testament to the raw power the stream provided. It was also something he would have to jump over. The cave he sought was on the far side of the pond, which meant that either he'd have to waste time trying to hike past cliffs and thick underbrush, or he could clear the stream and make it there in less then half the time.

Morgan wasn't worried in the slightest. He'd made the jump several times before, so it was second nature to him by now. It was as natural as climbing a set of stairs. Except, the stairs in this case were wet, and no one had given out the warning.

He jumped, just like he had a thousand times before, only for his foot to slide out from under him on wet stone when he landed.

Before Morgan could react, he had plummeted straight down into the raging waters below him. Panic set in as he was dragged toward the waterfall by the current. His fingers clawed around him, trying to find something to grab. No such hand hold could be found in the wet stone. He kicked and scratched, doing whatever he could to stop despite the odds being against him.

Then he went over the edge, his arms and legs flailed as he fell face first, and for the first time since the ordeal began he screamed in terror. It did nothing, as the rocks and water at the bottom of the falls raced up to meet him.

And then, darkness.

Morgan's eyes shot open, and his lungs screamed for air. His legs kicked out of instinct, and his hands clawed through the water around him as he fought upward. Just when it seemed as if his lungs would burst, he exploded out of the water, gasping for air as he went. He kicked and thrashed his way forward until he finally felt ground beneath him.

Collapsing onto the shoreline, Morgan panted and groaned. The fall was jarring, and nearly drowning didn't help matters. Overall the entire experience left him drained of energy and seriously considering just passing out right where he was at. Fighting the urge to close his eyes, Morgan pushed himself to his hands and knees and pulled himself out of the water entirely.

What was worse then the exhaustion was the pain. Although it was rapidly fading, Morgan could still feel where his body had hit the rocks at the bottom of the waterfall. He could still feel every bone in his body shatter upon impact, the sharp rocks impaling him without mercy or remorse. And it hurt, the worst kind of pain he had ever experienced in his entire life.

Yet, here he was, just as fine as if nothing had ever happened, like some kind of strange day dream. But it wasn't a dream. The fact that he was soaking wet and covered with mud was a testament to that. How? The fall should have killed him. Morgan knew that for a fact. He'd felt the damage, that fall should have killed him, and if not, than his injures should have had him drown because he wouldn't have been able to swim.

For the first time since he had pulled himself from the water, Morgan actually took a moment to study the area around him. It wasn't the area where he had fallen. In fact, there were no waterfalls or cliffs of any kind in sight. He was in the middle of some kind of lowland marsh, surrounded by trees, shallow water, and shrub grass. Pushing himself to his feet, Morgan did a full turn on the spot, looking in all directions to see if he could spot any familiar landmarks.

All he saw was more swamp.

Rather then panic, he took off his rucksack and began to look over his gear. Panic was just opening the door and inviting things to go from bad to worse. Thankfully, all of his stuff seemed to be with him, and had survived the ordeal relatively dry and unharmed. He even drew the revolver from his hip and gave it a quick look over. All the parts were in working order, and all of the bullets in the chambers were dry. Satisfied, he gave the gun a single twirl before returning it to it's holster.

Happy with the state of his gear, Morgan pulled out his compass. It was an engineer compass, black and round with green letters and numbers on a white face. Finding north, he snapped the compass closed again before shouldering the rucksack and setting off. He chose a westerly direction, hoping to find either some sign of civilization or the edge of the marsh by sundown.

Despite giving himself a task to focus on, Morgan's thoughts were anxious and wild. Where was he? Was he dead? Was this heaven or the paradise his grandfather had told him of? He hoped not. A swamp wasn't his idea of heaven or paradise. The logical side of him said that he was obviously not dead, just lost. But he couldn't deny that SOMETHING had happened to him. Be it mystical or otherwise, Morgan didn't know, and it bothered him.

After hours of walking, Morgan finally stepped out of the swamp and onto a road. It was little more then a pair of hard packed dirt tracks carved into the ground, but it was still a road none the less. The land slowly shifted from swamp to hilly forest as the day wore on. By the time that the sun was setting, the hills were turning to mountains, and the faint smell of wet salt was on the breeze.

With orange light of the setting sun, Morgan crested a hill and finally let out a sigh of relief. Below him, situated in a valley by a small river was a village. Although happy to see civilization, the architecture of the place gave him pause. For one, the village had a wall around it, and all of the roofs were structured like traditional buildings in eastern Asia, not western Montana.

Knowing he had little other choice, Morgan set off down the mountainside and entered the village. Overall, the market of the village reminded him of some movies he had seen set in China and Japan. The people were all wearing varying shades of grays, browns, and greens, with some wearing conical rice hats. They eyed him, like he eyed them, with mixture of curiosity and caution. He must have looked just as strange to them as they looked to him.

It didn't take long for Morgan to realize that he had no hope of reading any of the signs in the market. Everything was in Mandarin, or at least he thought it was Mandarin. On a good day, he was lucky if he could tell Chinese and Japanese apart, and today was definitely not a good day.

Locating what he hoped was a general store, based upon the image of a set of scales by the door, Morgan stepped inside and looked around. The place didn't have much; some stacks of grain sacks, a few racks of farming tools, a couple stands of fruit, and a counter with a set of scales on the far end of the room. A woman in a green dress with gray hair was standing behind the counter with her back turned to him as she rearranged some things on a shelf.

Nearby, a young man, not much older then himself with long brown hair and a mustard colored shirt was sweeping the floor. They both turned to regard him as he closed the door behind him. Like the people on the street, they gave him strange looks for his appearance, but didn't seem too bothered by it.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked, breaking the silence. Morgan let out a sigh of relief he didn't realize that he had been holding. Although the written language may not have been something he could understand, the spoken one was.

"I…don't know," he answered honestly.

"Is there anything you're looking for?" she asked.

"Information, I guess. I got lost out on the road and I have no idea where I'm at," he said.

"You're in Pat To. We're a small mining village, not far from the coast," the young man said. For Morgan, that all but confirmed it. The nearest coastline to his home was about seven or eight hundred miles to the west, in Washington State, and none of this looked like the Seattle area in the slightest. Wherever he was, it was no place he was even remotely familiar with.

"Okay…that's a start, I guess," he said.

"What's your name?" the woman asked.

"Jacob Wood, but everyone just calls me Morgan.''

"That's an odd name. You're definitely not from around here," the young man said.

"Haru!" the woman snapped.

"Sorry."

"My name is Song, and this rude young man is Haru. We'd be happy to give you any help we can, Mr. Wood," the woman said.

"Please, just Morgan would be fine. And thank you, but I don't have any money to pay you back," Morgan replied.

"You a hunter?" the shopkeeper asked, motioning toward the quiver of arrows over his shoulder.

"Yes."

"I'm sure we can work out a deal. Haru, take him to the farm. Its nearly closing time," Song said.

"Yes, mom," the teenager said before motioning for Morgan to follow him.

"And keep your distance from the patrols," she added. Haru simply waved over his shoulder as they went out the shop's door. They walked through the streets of the village, headed toward the small gate that Morgan had passed through when he had come in.

"Why keep away from patrols? Does the local law enforcement have something against hunting?" he asked after a short time.

"Weapons of any kind are frowned upon. They see it as a threat to their occupation," Haru answered.

"And who is they?" Morgan asked.

"The Fire Nation," Haru answered, gesturing to a couple of passing soldiers dressed in red and black armor. Morgan gave them a quick look over before returning his attention to Haru. Now he really had no idea where he was. As far as he knew, there was no place called the Fire Nation. He quickly turned his thoughts back to the current situation. Thinking about the possible answers was something he found a little too frightening to do at the moment.

Haru led them away from the village to a small farm sitting on the mountainside a short distance away. There was the main house, a barn, and a hand pump for a well, and not much else. The sea could be seen from here, though, and it shined like it was made of diamonds under the light of the setting sun. Despite all that was going on, Morgan found the view to be a calming one.

"You'll sleep in the barn tonight. In the morning we'll talk and decide what you should do," Haru said. Morgan gave him a nod of understanding and thanks before heading into the barn. Thankfully they didn't seem to keep animals in here at the moment, so the place didn't smell. Taking his pack and quiver off, Morgan collapsed into a pile of hay. His whole body ached and was flooded with exhaustion from a long day of stress and traveling.

The young man was just barely able to kick off his boots before sleep claimed him.

What followed in the next two weeks could only be described as a never ending roller-coaster ride of emotional chaos for Morgan. Just when he thought he was getting use to his new surroundings, something new would pop up, and he'd be back to square one. It started with the hybrid animals. Combinations of various creatures making up the daily wildlife was something he was able to get use to with a little work.

Then came the bending, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. When he'd seen a firebender threating a shop owner, it took all of his willpower not to run and hide in the woods, or that was the case until he caught Haru earthbending a few hours later. For three days, Morgan hid out in the woods near the farm before finally emerging from the tree line on the fourth morning with a dead catdeer slung over his shoulders.

Seeing Morgan's skills first hand, Song sent the young man on hunting trips from then on as a means of paying his way and pulling his weight. The pelts and whatever meat that didn't make it into the cooking pot was taken to the shop and sold. He found the work to be oddly satisfying, even if his game were strange hybrids.

Morgan finally caught a glimpse of a map about two weeks after his arrival. That finally confirmed what he had been fearing all this time. Wherever he was, it wasn't the same world he had been in. It was likely that he'd never see his home or his family again. This was a revelation that he wasn't quite sure how to take. Crying and wallowing about it would solve nothing. If anything, he had a lot of questions that no one would have answers to. The only thing to do now was keep his head down and pray that the Fire Nation troops didn't take an interest in him. He'd seen how they treated people who got on their bad side, he'd seen how they treated people on their good side. Frankly he wanted nothing to do with the entire situation.

In order to stay away from the soldiers, Morgan spent his time in the woods. Song already had him bagging what game he could in order to feed the three of them, so it wasn't like this was off his beaten path. It kept his skills sharp, preparing him for the day the Fire Nation would come knocking. But it also gave him a lot of alone time.

He considered telling Haru and Song the truth about what had happened to him, but ultimately decided against it. They'd probably think he was insane and kick him to the road, or the nearest Fire Nation patrol. So he stuck with his current story. He came from a small providence called Montana, isolated in the mountains far to the east.

This covered any sort of situation he came across in which he was lacking what should have been common knowledge, which in turn gave him the freedom to ask any questions he wanted without looking like a complete idiot. It also explained the clothing and gear that he had turned up with. Song had been generous enough to give him some old clothing that belonged to Haru's father, so that he wasn't wearing the same shirt and pants all the time, and as thanks for bringing in meat for the table.

It had taken a few days, but Haru and Song finally explained why the man of the house wasn't present. When the Fire Nation had conquered the village five years earlier, Tyro and the other earthbenders in the village had fought back. When they were finally overrun, the Fire Nation had rounded up any earthbenders they could find and shipped them off to a prison somewhere.

It didn't take much for Morgan to put two and two together and realize this was why Haru always practiced his bending in private, or why the mother son duo avoided the occupying troops like the plague. With that in mind, he began to study the soldiers with a much keener eye in an attempt to learn the location of this prison.

As time passed, he learned more and more about the Fire Nation military. Despite having a rather primitive set of armament such as armor, swords, and spears, they maintained a rather strict command structure. Morgan learned how to tell a person's rank based on their uniform, and even if said person was a firebender of not. He learned supply routes, patrol schedules, even when a tax collector was sent out and how often.

Of course, he did all of this while crouched in a bush or a tree with his takedown recurve bow. Watching and following the troops kept up his sneaking skill, and hunting kept up his aim. Ultimately he figured he'd have to move on eventually. After all, there was only so much one could do by hunting catdeer in one area. But he wasn't ready just yet, not until he could at least tell Haru and Song where Tyro was being held. Beyond that he wasn't sure there was anything he could do, by himself anyway.

It was on the morning two weeks to the day after he had arrived in Pat To when a chance presented itself to him, in the form of a young man from the Water Tribe, gathering nuts for his breakfast.

 **And cut. This is the beginning of my new project. As I said at the start, this is my attempt to add some new flavor into this area of fanfiction. A huge portion of OC stories in ATLA follow the same chess stratagy: OC female ends up in Avatar World or has unique feature, OC female winds up traveling and falling in love with Zuko, Rook takes King side Bishop. So yeah, I'm trying something a little different. Remember to read, review, and let me know what you liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, I'm here with the first full length chapter. As you may have guessed, this story will take place from 'Imprisoned' onward, and deal with Morgan's interactions with the Avatar World. So, let's see how he handles his first outing, shall we?**

A boar raised its head to nibble on the red berries hanging from the bush. It's dark fur made it stand out in the midday sun that was shining down through the branches of the trees overhead. I watched it carefully before drawing an arrow from over my shoulder and leveling it on my bow. My fingers curled around the black drawstring as I drew the arrow back and took aim. The boar paused in it's eating to look around, possibly having heard something. At that moment, I released my hold on the drawstring, and let the arrow fly.

The boar let out a high pitched squeal as the arrow struck it in the side, where it's head met it's body. It started to run, but immediately collapsed, rolling over itself with it's own velocity before coming to a halt on it's side. I lowered my bow and smiled to myself before making my way over to it. The arrow had severed it's spine, paralyzing it so it couldn't run away. Slinging the bow across my midsection, I drew my hunting knife and plunged it into the boar's heart, putting it out of it's misery.

Returning the knife to it's sheath and recovering my arrow, I picked the boar up and slung it over my shoulders before I started back toward the village. I needed to get this thing skinned and into the smokehouse fast. Winter was only a few weeks away, and the farm had little ready in terms of preserved meat. Song would have my ass if I didn't get that problem fixed right away.

I had gotten fairly used to my new life over the past couple of weeks. The idea of hunting for a living wasn't something I was opposed to. But my curiosity was starting to get the better of me. War or not, there was an entirely new world out there that I knew virtually nothing about, and it was like it was calling to me.

As I walked, I realized that I could hear someone muttering to themselves. I couldn't help but frown at that. No one usually came into the woods, except Haru when he wanted to practice his bending. Curious, I followed the sound of the voice. It was a teenager, not much younger than myself. He had a dark skin tone with dark hair pulled back into a short pony tail. His clothes were blue, an almost welcome change from the greens, browns, reds, and blacks that had dominated my line of sight for the past two weeks.

He seemed to be foraging, based on the fact that he had a small sack and was picking up nuts that had fallen from a small bush. Despite not knowing this guy in the slightest, I strode right up to him as if he was an old friend. He was so engrossed by his nut gathering that he didn't even notice me. I stood there for over a minute, waiting for him to realize that he wasn't alone.

"You know that one's just a rock, right?" I asked as he went to put a rock into his sack. He jumped at the sound of my voice before leaping to his feet.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Morgan, and you are?"

"Sokka," he said, giving me a wary look as he went back to gathering nuts. There was something really familiar about this guy, both in his name and appearance. It was there, in the back of my mind. I knew that I had seen him somewhere before, I just couldn't pinpoint where.

"You're not from around here, are you?" I asked.

"What gave that away?" he asked sarcastically as he eyed over another rock.

"Well for one, you're foraging for rocks, so either you're a moron or you're not familiar with the area." Sokka glared at me, and I just simply shrugged.

"Where are you camped at?" I asked.

"Why do you want to know?"

"So I can offer you something better to eat than rocks, or show you to the market in town," I said. He perked up at that.

"Wait, there's a village near here?" he asked.

"You catch on quick there, boy scout," I answered, earning another glare from him. His stomach rumbled at that moment, and his gaze shifted to the hog slung over my shoulders. A hungry look appeared in his eyes, as if he could already smell the meat cooking.

"Fine. This way," he said. It wasn't a long walk back to Sokka's camp, and it was actually a place I had been to before. A small clearing with a spring and a small stream in the middle of it, surrounded by large boulders and a fallen tree. In the campsite was a young woman with the same hair color and skin tone as Sokka, wearing clothing of the same color. She was folding up what appeared to be a blanket or sleeping bag.

On a rock near her was a bald kid in his early teens or so. He wore bright orange and yellow clothing, and had blue arrows tattooed on his head and hands. Sitting by the kid was a massive six legged horned creature with white fur and an arrow similar to the kid on top of it's head. As we got closer, a white furred, winged lemur thing flew down from a branch and landed on a rock near the girl.

"Great, you're back, what's for dinner?" the bald kid asked as he jumped down from his perch.

"We got some options. First, round nuts, and some kind of oval shaped nuts, and some rock shaped nuts, which might just be rocks," Sokka answered as he dumped out his sack for the other two to see. One of the rocks rolled near the lemur, which was munching on a leaf. It picked it up out of curiosity and began to look it over.

"Dig in," Sokka continued. The other two looked at their handfuls of nuts, and then at each other.

"Seriously, what else you got?" the young woman asked.

"Boar," I offered, speaking up. The other two took notice of me standing there for the first time.

"Sokka, who's your friend?" the boy asked.

"Guys, this is Morgan. Morgan, this is my sister Katara, and Aang," Sokka introduced.

"Hello," Katara said kindly as she stood up. I smiled and gave her a small wave, trying to ignore the crick that was forming in my neck.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't eat meat," Aang said.

"That's fine. There's plenty of fruit at the market in town," I said.

"So there is a town nearby, which means we don't have to eat nuts for dinner," Katara said, directing the last part toward her brother.

"Hey, I worked hard to gather those nuts," he defended. Everyone just started at him.

"Okay, fine, I hate them too. Let's head to the market," he finally conceded. At that moment, a loud boom echoed through the woods. The ground shook slightly, and I couldn't help but frown. I knew that noise.

"What was that?" Sokka asked, followed closely by another boom.

"It's coming from over there," Aang said, pointing in the direction that the stream flowed away into the woods. Both he and Katara took off, eager to find the source of the noise.

"Shouldn't we run away from huge booms, not toward them?" Sokka asked. He was ignored, and promptly went after them. I went too, although at a much slower pace do to the boar that was still on my shoulders. In hind sight, I probably should have just dropped the damn thing and saved myself a literal pain in the neck.

The three of them took cover behind a large log as they looked at the source of the noise. It was Haru, bending large boulders in a small gulch that had been carved out by the stream. He was so engrossed in his bending that he didn't notice any of us.

"An earthbender," Katara said in amazement.

"Let's go meet him," Aang said.

"He looks dangerous, so we better approach cautiously," Sokka said. At least one of them had a good head on their shoulders when it came to meeting new people. Katara wasn't listening to a word her brother had said, as she was already out from behind the log and halfway between us and Haru by the time he finished speaking.

"Hello there! I'm Katara, what's your name?" she called. Haru looked like a deer caught in the headlights as he realized that he had an audience. It didn't last very long as he took notice of me standing behind them. I gave a small jerk of my head, silently telling him to make a run for it. With that, he dropped the bolder he had been bending and took off up the creek bed, collapsing a wall of rocks behind him so we couldn't follow.

"Nice to meet you!" Aang yelled after him as the dust settled.

"I just wanted to say hi," Katara said, confused and a little hurt that Haru had run off without saying anything.

"So, what was that about a market?" Aang asked, looking back at me. I gave him a smirk.

"Come on."

* * *

While the trio were looking around the market, I made a beeline for Song's store. She was busy taking inventory when I stepped inside with the boar still draped over my shoulders.

"Ah, Morgan, you're back. Have you seen Haru?" she asked.

"He should be around soon," I replied as I sat the boar on the counter. She looked at it and then up at me, silently questioning why I had just done this.

"I need to know what you can sell here in the shop," I explained. Song put her hand to her chin in thought as she took a closer look at the dead animal.

"Nothing really, truth be told," she finally said, "anything you can't put in the smokehouse should go into the slop for the pigs."

"Alright, you're the shop keep, not me," I said as I picked the boar up again. At that moment, the door opened and Haru slipped inside the shop.

"Hi Mom, hey Morgan," he said. I gave a nod of acknowledgement as I started toward the door.

"Where have you been, Haru? You're late, get started on your chores," Song chastised. I picked up the pace, eager to put some distance between myself and whatever scolding she had prepared. Experience had taught me that once Song got to ragging on someone, it didn't take long for it to spread to anyone else within hearing distance. It was best to just get out of the shop and get back to the farm before she had a reason to turn her attention to me.

The door to the shop opened again, only this time it was Katara who was opening it. I sidestepped to avoid running into her or the door. She gave me a brief look before focusing on Haru.

"Hey, you're that kid. Why did you run away before?" she asked.

"Uh, you must have me confused with some other kid," Haru said, trying to pass off the encounter like it was some mistake.

"No she doesn't, we saw you earthbending," Aang said as he and Sokka came in behind Katara. The kid was wearing a rice hat now, which only made him blend in a tiny bit more. Both Haru and Song let out gasps of worry.

"And with that, I'm outa here," I said, slipping out of the shop before both the door and the window shutter were slammed shut. Haru was probably set for the verbal lashing of a lifetime, so I didn't want to be anywhere near that when it happened. I headed back to the farm, deciding that I needed to get the boar into the smokehouse before sundown.

I skinned it and laid the hide out to dry in the sun before placing the meat on racks in the smokehouse. Anything that was left over went into the pig slop as instructed. By the time I finished, the sun was pretty low in the western sky. I decided to kill some time with some target practice, setting up a square hay bale against the side of the barn. Stepping off several paces, I turned and began to put arrows into a tight grouping near the center of the bale.

While I shot, I let my mind wander. It went back to that trio that I had met. Something about all three of them was ringing a bell somewhere in my mind. But the frustrating thing was that I couldn't remember where I had seen them before. I just knew that I had.

"Nice grouping," Sokka said off to my left as I drew back another arrow. I jumped out of my thoughts, but managed to hang on to the arrow and keep it from flying.

"Thanks," I said, recovering before letting the arrow loose. It covered the distance between myself and the target in less then the blink of an eye, joining the other cluster of arrows there.

"Haru's mom is letting us stay in the barn tonight," he said, explaining their presence there.

"Oh, good, I love roommates," I said with an edge of sarcasm as I drew and fired another arrow.

"Wait, you sleep in the barn?" he asked.

"Better than with the pigs," I answered.

"Why?"

"You could say I'm something of a hired hand," I said.

"A hired hand who is also an archer."

"I do what's required of me, and in return I get a place to sleep for the night." Another arrow flew true and joined the cluster at the center of the target.

"How does archery and farm work fit together?" he asked.

"I'm a hunter, mainly. I've been helping Song and Haru get ready for winter by stocking them up on meat," I explained as I walked to the target and studied my grouping up close. I was getting better, but there was still room for improvement. Yanking the arrows free, I returned them to my quiver before heading back to the starting point and starting the process all over again.

"What about you guys, what's your story" I asked.

"We're traveling with Aang, heading north," Sokka answered. I didn't bother to question it. From what I knew there were plenty of places further north that were worth visiting and they could have been headed to any one of them.

"You do know that there's just more Fire Nation occupation the further up the coast you go, right?" I asked. If they were traveling to get away from the Fire Nation, from what I had been able to gather east was the way to go, not north. Sokka didn't seem surprised or overly concerned by this information, just shrugging it off.

"It can't be helped, I guess," he said. The sun had fully set by the time everyone headed into the barn to turn in for the night. To both my amusement and mild annoyance, I found that a large chunk of the hay stored in the barn had been eaten by the fluffy monster Aang referred to as Appa. Apparently the thing was called a flying bison. I'd believe it when I saw it.

As I settled into my usual place in the loft of the barn, Katara recounted what had happened while her and Haru had been out walking. Apparently they had come across an old man caught in the collapse of one of the mines near town, and Haru had used his earthbending to save the old man from being buried alive or crushed to death.

"It was so brave of Haru to use his earthbending to help that old man," Katara said as she looked into the warm glow of the lantern she was holding. It was currently the only source of light in the barn, aside from the moonlight that was coming in through an open window in the loft.

"You must have really inspired him," Aang said.

"I guess so." I laid there listening to them with a frown on my face. Katara was right, it was brave of Haru to use his earthbending like that. Brave, and probably a little foolhardy. During my two weeks here, I'd seen people turn each other over to the Fire Nation soldiers on things as petty as a bag of rice. Even if he had saved that man's life, there was still the possibility the old man would turn Haru in if it meant he'd be handsomely rewarded.

"Everyone get some sleep, we're leaving at dawn," Sokka said.

"Dawn?! Can't we sleep in for once?" Katara asked.

"Absolutely not, this village is crawling with Fire Nation troops. If they discover you're here, Aang, we'll be eating fire balls for breakfast."

"Rather eat fire balls than nuts," Katara quipped.

"Good night," Sokka said pointedly before rolling over and facing away from the other two, who were chuckling amongst themselves. I continued to frown as I listened to them talk. Something about this wasn't adding up. Aang, from what I had seen during my interactions with him throughout the day, was a goofball kid that dressed like a Tibetan monk. What was it about him that would cause the occupation force to outright attack him on sight?

"Why would the Fire Nation be interested in you, Aang?" I asked, deciding to try my luck and just ask what I wanted to know. Aang and Katara shared a look with each other.

"I'm the Avatar," the boy finally confessed. I just stared at him and blinked once. That statement meant literally nothing to me.

"Okay," I said before lying back and staring at the ceiling.

"Don't tell anyone, alright?" Sokka said.

"Yeah, yeah, secret is safe," I replied along with a wave of my hand. As the light from the lantern went out, I returned to my thoughts. Like the appearance and names of the three people sharing the barn with me, something about the word Avatar was stirring something in my memories. The first thing I thought of was that movie about the blue cat people and mech suits. Seeing a lack of both of those, along with electrical lighting, I quickly dismissed the connection. There was something else, something older than that. I drifted off to sleep, scratching my head on the subject.

Morning brought with it a distinct lack of motivation to get moving on the trio's part. As the sun rose, even Sokka was still snoring away on his little bed made out of hay bales. I got up, pulled on my boots, and went to find Song for my chores and something to eat for breakfast. Song was standing outside of the house, staring at the sea, her face streaked with tears.

"Song?" I asked. She turned to me before she broke down completely.

"Oh, Morgan. They took him, they took Haru," she said when she was able to collect herself some.

"When?"

"Midnight. Some men came with an old man and they took him," she said. Midnight. That meant they had a six hour head start. A six hour old trail to track. It wasn't ideal, but it was something I could work with.

"I'll get him back, Song, I promise," I said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me with a small shred of hope in her eyes. From experience, she knew that I always made good on my promises.

"Be careful," she said. I gave her a single nod before heading toward the barn. Apparently Katara had overheard us talking, and had told Sokka and Aang as well. She also blamed herself for Haru being taken, and was formulating a plan to get him back.

"They're going to arrest me for earthbending," she declared. I blinked and looked down at her from the loft as I gathered my gear.

"Oh, this I've got to see."

* * *

As far as plans go, Katara's actually wasn't half bad. Using the ventilation shafts in the mines they were able to elevate a bolder using Aang's airbending, but made it look like she was earthbending. A passing patrol quickly arrested her, and thus began the long process of backtracking where the earthbending prisoners in the region were being sent.

I joined forces with Aang and Sokka. Seeing as how I had studied the troop movements and knew the area fairly well, I proved to be invaluable to the search, helping pick up the trail on Katara if we lost her. There was also my skill with my bow, which would no doubt come into play once we reached the actual prison.

We tracked Katara to a neighboring village on the coast line, where she was loaded onto a steam powered ferry and taken out to sea. From there, we followed the ferry on Appa's back, using the clouds as cover. The ferry went to a rather large metal rig about a mile or so out to sea. It was perfect for holding earthbenders. Nothing but metal and water, no rock in sight.

"I gotta admit, when you told me this thing could fly, I had my doubts," I said as I watched the ferry through a set of binoculars.

"Yeah, you get use to it," Sokka replied. As I lowered the binoculars, we both noticed the fallen, worried look on Aang's face.

"She'll be fine, Aang. Katara knows what she's doing," Sokka reassured. With that, we circled around and headed back to land. None of us liked waiting around, but we had to give Katara a chance to find Haru. Sokka had given her twelve hours to do so, and when that time was up, we were headed back to the prison.

Oddly enough, the bars on the prisoner section of the rig were wide enough that we could easily slip through them. Given how far we were out to sea, it wasn't much of a surprise that the guards here didn't care if a prisoner fell overboard while attempting to escape. They'd drown long before they got anywhere near land.

Aang had Appa hover at the edge of the barge before slipping inside to go look for Katara. Out of all of us, he was the lightest on his feet and the smallest, and thus ran the least amount of risk for being caught. Sokka and I waited anxiously, me standing in the saddle with an arrow nocked should a guard come by and try to raise the alarm.

Finally, Aang and Katara returned, and it took all of about two seconds to realize they didn't have Haru with them.

"You're twelve hours are up, where's Haru, we need to get out of here," Sokka said with a lowered voice.

"I can't."

"There's a patrol coming soon, we need to make this quick," I hissed. Still, the young woman held her ground.

"Katara, what's wrong?" Aang asked.

"I'm not leaving. I'm not giving up on these people," she said, prompting us, her three man rescue team, to all look at each other.

"What do you mean, you're not leaving?" Sokka asked.

"We can't abandon these people. There has to be a way to help them," Katara answered.

"Maybe she's right. What do you say, Sokka?" Aang asked.

"I say you're both crazy," he answered. We all ducked as the beam of a searchlight passed overhead.

"Morgan?"

"I've only got a small number of arrows in my quiver, I can't take out all the guards by myself," I said.

"Last chance, we need to leave," Sokka insisted.

"No," Katara said firmly, her tone making it clear that was the end of the discussion. Realizing that he was never going to win this argument, Sokka sighed and shook his head.

"I hate when you get like this, come on, we need to hide," he said before leading the way back toward the guard fence. Aang whispered something into Appa's ear, prompting the flying bison to take off into the night sky while we slipped inside the prison.

In the gray light of the pre dawn, we hid amongst a collection of large wooden crates. I sat and kept watch, while the other three discussed what to do next.

"We don't have much time, what are we going to do?" Sokka asked.

"I wish I knew how to make a hurricane," Aang said. Everyone just gave him a look.

"To what, sink the rig?" I asked.

"No, that way the warden would run away and we could steal his keys," he explained.

"Wouldn't he just take his keys with him?" Sokka asked.

"I'm just tossing ideas around," Aang defended.

"I tried to talk the earthbenders into fighting back, but it didn't work. If there was just a way to help them help themselves," she said.

"We could fashion them all shivs and get them to shank the guards," I suggested, earning a glare from Katara.

"How is that any better than the hurricane idea?"

"It's better than sending a group of unarmed people against well trained firebending soldiers," I countered.

"They'd need something like earth, or rock, something they could bend," Sokka said in thought.

"But this entire place is made of metal," Katara said, placing her hand on the deck. Aang looked up past me, and his eyes went wide with realization.

"No, it's not," he said. I looked up in the direction he was looking. Black smoke poured from several smoke stacks near the top of the structure. Black smoke meant they were burning coal.

"Look at the smoke, I bet they're burning coal, in other words, earth," he said. I blinked as it hit me what he was suggesting.

"Oh, that's clever," I said with a grin.

* * *

I slipped away from the others and made my way to the top of the wall overlooking the prisoner holding area. The fact that there were only five guards up there, lazy ones at that, was a testament to just how relaxed the security was here. The prisoners had no way to bend. Even if they did rise up and somehow take the rig, than what? We were a long way out to sea, and supplies only lasted a few days at most.

Knocking out the guards on the wall, I stood ready with my bow, watching as events unfolded below me. Katara and Sokka were found by the guards just as the sun was coming up over the horizon. They both had fighting stances, ready to fend off any attack. But they were surrounded on all sides. At that moment, the rig began to shake, and a large, black pillar of coal erupted from the vent the siblings had been standing next to.

It landed in a large pile, much to the shock of everyone present. Well, everyone who wasn't involved with the plan anyway. Aang came from the vent a short moment later, landing on top of his new pile completely covered with coal dust. Katara ran up next to him, grabbing up a rather large lump of coal and holding it skyward.

"Here's your chance, earthbenders! Take it! Your fate is in your own hands!" She was greeted only by silence, and a few of the prisoners backing away. Upon seeing this, the Warden broke out into laughter.

"Foolish girl, you thought some inspirational words and some coal would change these people? Look at these blank, hopeless faces. Their spirits were broken a long time ago. Oh, but you still believe in them. They're a waste of your energy, girl, you've failed," the Warden taunted. I could tell by the way Katara's shoulders slouched that she was starting to believe him. She was on the edge of giving up.

Looks like these people were going to need a little incentive.

Drawing and nocking an arrow, I drew back and lined up the shot. I targeted the firebender immediately to the Warden's right and let the arrow fly. It hit the back of the soldier's helmet with a loud clang. He rocked on the balls of his feet, before collapsing face down. The Warden whipped around and looked for where the shot had come from. When he spotted me, his face filled with rage.

As he opened his mouth to order something, a single lump of coal impacted him in the back of the head. Spinning on the spot, he found Haru standing there, bending some more coal above his fingers. In anger, the Warden bent a large bolt of fire at him. But a wall of coal erupted from the deck, protecting him from the blast. An older man had bent the coal, protecting him.

Realizing they had a potential riot on their hands, the Warden and other firebenders assumed stances and formed a line.

"Show no mercy!" he ordered before they unleashed a wave of fire. More earthbenders raced forward, bending a much larger wall of coal up to absorb the blast.

"For the Earth Kingdom, ATTACK!" the leader of the earthbenders shouted before they brought the coal down, forcing the firebenders back to avoid being crushed or hit by flying bits of coal. From then on, all hell broke loose. Haru and the older man, I'm guessing his father, bent a rather large ball of coal between them. They compressed it into one large boulder, and then launched it at the gate about ten feet below me. I barely had time to hang on as the whole wall shook from the force of the impact.

The prisoners chose that moment to make a break for it, blowing past the guards and heading for the ships that were still docked to the rig. However the Warden wasn't going to let them go without a fight. He rallied what few guards he had left and began to firebend after them. Drawing another arrow, I took quick aim and let it fly.

The Warden cried out and fell onto his back as the arrow hit him in the shoulder. It didn't kill him, well, not yet anyway. But it was satisfying to see him get a taste of what he deserved. I made my way back to the main deck, just in time to watch the Warden and several of his guards suspended on a large collection of coal being hovered out over the edge of the rig.

"No, please, I can't swim," he begged, clutching his wounded shoulder.

"Don't worry, I hear cowards float," Haru's father said before dropping his stance. Instantly the coal fell apart, and all of the men on top of it were sent into the water below. The prisoners took control of a few ferries, and soon we were all sailing back to the mainland.

"You did pretty good out there," Sokka commented as he secured some of their supplies to the saddle on Appa's back.

"Thanks, you too," I said, not really sure on how to take the compliment.

"So what will you do now? Help these people free their village?" Aang asked as he bent a lump of coal around in a ball of air, playing with Momo. I had considered that. But once that was done, then what? My promise to Song had been fulfilled twice over. Not only was she getting her son back, but her husband as well. My time in Pat To was up.

"Actually, I was hoping to come with you guys," I said.

"Really?" he asked, sitting up.

"Yeah, I mean, why not? We made a pretty good team," I said.

"I saw how good of a shot he is with that thing, I don't have a problem with it," Sokka said, motioning to my bow.

"Alright. I guess that means you're in, welcome aboard, Morgan," Aang said with a lopsided grin on his face. I gave him a smile before looking off toward the horizon, wondering where all of this would lead.

 **And cut. Next time, Morgan and the others deal with Spirits and the Winter Solstice. How is that going to play out? Stick around and find out. Drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you guys liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. Don't got much to say, so let's dive right in:**

Flying is only something I've done once or twice in my life. When I did it, the only view I had was through a small window on an airline. It's no where even close to being the same experience as the wide openness as the saddle on the back of a flying bison. Needless to say, if you have a fear of heights, I would not recommend it, as there is no where for you to hide.

I sat in the saddle on Appa's back, sharpening an arrowhead with my whetstone. Aang was reclining on Appa's head, Katara sat gazing at the clouds, and Sokka sat across from me with his arms folded, eyeing me with suspicion. Ever since he had gotten a decent look at my equipment, he'd been giving me that same look, like I had eaten his hamburger and he was just waiting for the evidence so he could make an accusation.

"What?" I finally asked pointedly. This had been going on for a couple of days now, so I was getting annoyed.

"That metalwork, it's almost Fire Nation quality," he said with an accusatory tone to his voice.

"It's not," I said, returning my attention to what I was doing.

"Really, where did you get it?"

"I bought it. At the store," I said, my annoyance now showing.

"And where did the store get it?"

"Sokka, if I was a Fire Nation agent, don't you think I would have done something by now?" I asked.

"He's got a point, Sokka," Katara added. It was kind of ridiculous, actually. After everything we had been through so far, the fact that such a thought had even made it into his head was a little baffling.

"It's just that he's got Fire Nation levels of metalwork is all I'm saying," Sokka said.

"The Fire Nation isn't the only place that has good metalwork. Earth Kingdom stuff isn't half bad if you can find a smith that knows what he's doing," I said before blowing metal shavings off of the arrowhead I had just got done sharpening. Being as most of my stuff was well made metal, arrows included, I could see where Sokka's paranoia was coming from. I didn't even want to know what he would think about the revolver that was resting on my hip, if he knew what it was.

It didn't make it any less annoying.

"Where are you from, anyway?" Sokka asked.

"Montana," I replied, giving him the same answer I had given Song and Haru. Shifting from arrowheads, I drew my hunting knife and began to sharpen it as well.

"Montana? I don't think I've ever heard of that place. Where is it?" Aang asked.

"The mountains on the other side of the Earth Kingdom, it's a fairly small place," I lied, sticking with the story that my home was this tiny isolated area hidden away somewhere in the mountains. It was vague and simple enough that I could keep my story straight without too much effort.

"You don't talk about it much," Katara noted. I paused briefly in my sharpening as the memory of going over the waterfall flashed through my mind.

"I didn't leave under the best pretenses," I explained before leaving it at that. Katara looked like she wanted to ask more, but decided against it when she saw that I didn't want to discuss the matter any further.

We flew along for a while in silence, each of us off in our own little world. Eventually we passed over a large river valley that was covered in forest. Sokka had taken to whittling on a hunk of wood, while Aang and Katara lounged around watching the clouds pass by. I had finished sharpening my knife and had settled in to take something of a nap in the warm sun.

"Those clouds look so soft, don't they? Like you could just jump down and land in a big, soft, cottony heap," Katara said.

"Maybe you should give it a try," Sokka said.

"You're hilarious," she deadpanned.

"I'll try it!" Aang yelled before jumping spread eagle from Appa's head, laughing like a manic the whole time. I sat up and joined the siblings looking over the side of the saddle, watching as the blur of yellow and orange fell and vanished into a cloud bank. After a moment, Aang reappeared on the other side of the saddle, landing with a wet plop next to me.

"Turns out, clouds are made of water," he said before airbending himself dry.

"Hey, what is that?" Katara asked as she crawled to the front of the saddle. Ahead of us, a massive swath of the otherwise green valley was black, charred from the damages of a fire.

"It's like a scar," Sokka said, thinking out loud. Aang took the reigns and brought us in closer. We landed in small clearing of sorts in the middle of the burnt out area. All around us were the blackened stumps of trees that had been torched in the inferno.

A puff of gray ash rose up into the air as I jumped from the saddle. The entire area was covered in the stuff, like a fine layer of gray snow. I began to look for signs of life, but found none, at least not at first. There was no sign of bigger animals, they were all long gone. But there were plenty of smaller animals like mice that were moving about, digging in the ash for acorns and nuts. Life finds a way, I guess.

"Listen, it's so quiet. There's no life anywhere," Sokka said before he knelt to examine some tracks he'd found in the soot.

"Aang, are you okay?" Katara asked. Aang had walked a short distance away from the rest of us and was being unusually quiet and somber.

"Fire Nation!" Sokka snapped as he realized what the tracks belonged to, "those evil savages make me sick! They have no respect for…"

"Shhh!" Katara said, stopping her brother mid rant with a finger to her lips.

"What? I'm not allowed to be angry?" he asked, his voice much quieter now. Rather than answer, she simply pointed at Aang. The airbender in question fell to his knees with a defeated sigh and ran his hand through the ash.

"Why would anyone do this? How could I let this happen?" he asked.

"Aang, you didn't let this happen. It has nothing to do with you," Katara said.

"Yes, it does. It's the Avatar's job to protect nature, but I don't know how to do my job."

"That's why we're going to the North Pole, to find you a teacher," Katara said.

"Yeah, a waterbending teacher," Aang corrected, "but there's no one who can teach me how to be the Avatar. Monk Gyatso said that Avatar Roku would help me."

"The Avatar before you? He died over a hundred years ago, how are you suppose to talk to him?" Sokka asked.

"I don't know," Aang confessed. I frowned as I listened to them talk. My knowledge about spirituality and all that stuff ended at my knowledge of old Blackfoot legends and what I knew being brought up as a Roman Catholic. All this stuff about Avatars was still a new thing to me.

Actually, almost everything I had seen over the past three weeks or so had made me call most of my beliefs into question. Things I had once been so sure on, I now knew nothing about. I'd always thought that the afterlife was either the big pearly gates of Heaven, or the fiery pits of Hell. No amount of Sunday school classes could ever prepare for something like what I was in.

Without realizing it, my hand had drifted upward and grasped the cord that was hanging around my neck. It was a simple black thing, with two dull round silver coins on it. One depicted Saint Christopher, and the other Saint Michael. These were the only things I had left of my Grandfather, a little odd, considering how passionate he was about passing on the old Blackfoot traditions.

Dropping the metals, I took notice of something brown poking out of the ash by my foot. Reaching down, I picked up an acorn. It had been buried here by a passing skunk squirrel or something, fairly recently too if I had to guess. I'd seen the damage wildfires had done to forests just like this one back home. No matter how bad things may have seemed, sooner or later nature returned to claim what was lost. Like I said, life finds a way. Tossing the acorn into the air and catching it again, I walked toward Katara.

"What do you got there, Morgan?" she asked. Rather than answer, I tossed her the acorn. She caught it with ease, looking at it and then at me with confusion.

"Bunch of little critters have been burring them all over the place," I explained.

"Which means the trees will grow back," she said with realization. I simply smiled. Gathering up a few more of the nuts, Katara walked over toward the still depressed airbender.

"Hey Aang, ready to be cheered up?" she asked.

"No." Katara didn't even wait for him to finish speaking, as she threw one of the acorns at him. It struck him square in the temple before bouncing away in the dirt.

"How is that cheering me up?" he asked, rubbing the side of his head. Sokka chuckled from a short distance away.

"Cheered me up," he said before another acorn bounced off his forehead. I was smirking at the whole situation, but was wise enough to keep quiet. Judging by their reactions, Katara had quite the arm on her.

"These acorns are everywhere, Aang," Katara said, showing him her last acorn, "that means the forest will grow back. These will all be an oak tree someday, and all the birds and animals that lived here will come back." She pushed the acorn into his hand before closing his fingers around it. Aang looked at his hand and then up at her, a much brighter shine in his eyes being present.

"Thanks, Katara," he said. Katara smiled, but then let out a gasp of surprise. I followed her line of sight as my hand slapped to my revolver, expecting some kind of trouble. What I found was an old man with long white hair leaning heavily on a cane coming toward us.

"Hey, who are you?" Sokka asked. But the old man ignored him, brushing past the young Water Tribe warrior and focusing solely on Aang.

"When I saw the flying bison, I thought it was impossible. But… those markings, are you the Avatar, child?" he asked. Aang looked back at Katara, who gave him a nod of approval. He turned back to the old man and gave him one of his own.

"My village desperately needs your help."

* * *

It was dusk by the time we arrived in the village. The village itself was fairly small, a large building which served as city hall, four rows of houses, a watchtower, and a wall surrounding it all. A few of the houses had visible damage to them, with one being little more then a wooden frame. What was weird was that there no visible signs of damage from usual means, such as fire or rock.

The old man led us to the large building at the center, which was packed full of the villagers. Most of them were small children, or elderly people like the man who had led us here.

"This young person is the Avatar," the old man said, introducing Aang to the entire room. A much younger man came forward, and I guessed he was probably the leader of this village.

"So the rumors of your return are true. It is the greatest honor of a lifetime to be in your presence," he said with a respectful bow.

"Nice to meet you, too," Aang replied with a bow of his own, "so, is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm not sure," the man said.

"Our village is in crisis. He's our only hope," the elder said, earning a solemn nod of agreement from the younger man.

"What exactly is going on?" I asked.

"For the last few days, at sunset, a spirit monster comes and attacks our village. He is Hei Bai, the black and white spirit," the elder said.

"Why is it attacking you?" Sokka asked.

"We do not know, but each of the last three nights he has abducted one of our own. We are especially fearful because the Winter Solstice draws near," the younger man said.

"What happens then?" Katara asked.

"As the Solstice approaches, the natural world and the spirit world grow closer and closer until the line between them is blurred completely," the elder explained.

"Hei Bai is already causing devastation and destruction. Once the Solstice is here, there is no telling what will happen," the younger man added.

"So, what do you want me to, exactly?" Aang asked.

"Who better to resolve a crisis between our world and the Spirit World than the Avatar himself. You are the great bridge between Man and Spirit," the elder said.

"Right, that's me," Aang said, sounding skeptical at best.

"Hey, great bridge guy, can I talk to you over here for a second?" Katara asked, pointing over to a corner. The four of us went over to an open window.

"Aang, you seem a little unsure about all this," she noted.

"Yeah, that might be because I don't know anything at all about the Spirit World," he said.

"Nothing?" I asked.

"It's not like there's someone to teach me this stuff," he defended.

"So, can you help these people?" she asked.

"I have to try, don't I? Maybe whatever I have to do will just come to me," he answered with a hopeful grin.

"I think you can do it, Aang," Katara said with a warm smile. Sokka and I just looked at each other.

"We're all going to die," we said at the same time. The sun had fully sunk behind the mountains to the west when we turned Aang out into the deserted village. Luckily I had grabbed my bow and quiver from the saddle before we had come here, it was just a matter of assembling and stringing it. As I strung the bow, the villagers closed the double door entrance behind Aang and barricaded it.

The only place to watch was from one of the windows as Aang walked toward the village gate, his staff held at the ready as he went, calling out to the Spirit that was suppose to appear. However the one that we had been using was a little crowded for my taste, so I moved to a different one, making sure to keep the shutters closed as I looked out.

Flame orange light slowly faded into purple as the sun sat and night came. Aang looked unsure of himself, standing out there near the gate all on his own. I watched intently, ready to spring into action should something go wrong. To be honest, if it wasn't for the damage to the buildings, I would have doubted there was an actual attack going on.

As the light of day continued to fade, Aang spun his staff and slammed it into the ground Gandalf style. With that, he started walking back toward us. But he didn't see the massive thing come from the shadows of the gate. It was a massive black and white thing, with two large set of arms and two smaller set of arms, and rows of razor sharp teeth in it's mouth. Despite it's size, it moved with near silence. In fact it was it's breathing, not it's movement that alerted Aang to it's presence.

"You must be the Hei Bai spirit, my name is.." Aang started, but was interrupted as the Spirit roared at him. It reared back on it's hind legs and roared to the heavens, letting out this bright light from it's maw. Turning it's attention from Aang, the beast moved so fast it was like it was teleporting, smashing buildings as it went.

I studied the movements of the Spirit with a frown, not because of the destructive power it was wielding, but because of the way it moved. I'd seen animals act like this before when they were wounded, lashing out at anything that got in their way. The villagers had said this had been going on for the past three nights, and the fire damage we had come across had been fresh, a week old at the most. Maybe the two were connected somehow.

Aang getting backhanded by the Spirit and sent flying halfway across the village was enough to bring me out of my thoughts and send me into action. Apparently Sokka had the idea, as we both threw aside the barricade and were out the front doors.

"Hei Bai, over here!" Sokka yelled as he threw his boomerang. It just bounced off the Spirit's hind end. I nocked an arrow and took aim, but held my fire. As it turned to face us, I let the arrow fly, hitting it about where the eye should have been. The arrow bounced off the Spirit, but it still shook it's head like it got a sudden migraine.

"Sokka, Morgan, go back!" Aang yelled.

"We'll fight him together, Aang!" Sokka replied.

"I don't want to fight him, I want…" Aang didn't get to finish as Hai Bi closed the distance on us. It snatched up Sokka before backhanding me through a post. I hit the side of a house with a thud before landing flat on my back, the force of the impact knocking me out cold.

Coming to, I felt a hand shaking me gently. I opened my eyes to find a worried Katara crouched over me.

"Morgan, are you okay?"

"Owww," I replied as I slowly sat up. My back hurt where I had hit both the post and the wall. But nothing felt broken, so that was a relief.

"The Spirit took Sokka into the forest, Aang went after them," she explained, filling me in on what I had missed.

"So what do we do now?" I asked, double checking to make sure none of my stuff was broken.

"We wait, I guess," she replied, picking up Sokka's boomerang and holding it close. I got to my feet and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"They'll be alright," I said.

"You're right, they'll be back soon," she said, although she didn't sound like she believed it. We went to the village gate and just waited. Katara plopped down in the gate and pulled her knees into her chest. She stared intently into shadows of the trees, clenching her brother's weapon. Hours passed, and the only things were heard were the noises of the forest at night. I was leaning against the other side of the gate from Katara, waiting for something, anything at this point. Finally the elder that had led us to this village approached.

"I'm sure they'll be back," he said.

"I know," Katara replied, exhaustion evident in her voice.

"You two should get some rest," he said as he draped a blanket over Katara's shoulders. I was inclined to agree with him, but I wasn't about to leave her out here all on her own.

"Everything's going to be okay," she said as she pulled the blanket tighter around her. In all honestly, it sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anything. I hung my head and closed my eyes in an effort to get rid of the sting that comes with exhaustion.

"Your brother is in good hands, I would be shocked if the Avatar returned without him," the elder said, trying to reassure the young woman.

"Katara…Katara I lost him," came Aang's voice. My eyes snapped open at that. By now the sun was starting to rise, bringing some color back from the dark hues of the night. The elder was kneeling in front of Katara, who looked downtrodden as she sat on her knees. Aang was standing a short distance away from them, only his form was a pale blue color.

I stood up straight as an arrow at the sight of the kid. Neither Katara nor the old man had given any indication that they had heard him speak, much less seen him standing right next to them. This wasn't right, not by a long shot.

"The sun is rising, perhaps he will return soon," the elder said as they both looked toward the rising disk. A look of confusion passed over Aang's face.

"What? No, I'm right here," he said before groaning in frustration. In a last ditch attempt to get attention, he waved his hand in front of the elder's face, only to notice it shimmer when he moved it too fast. Holding his hand up against the light of the sun, both he and I could clearly see through it.

"I'm in the Spirit World," he said with realization. Oh great, Aang's a ghost, and apparently I can see ghosts now. As if my life wasn't screwy enough as it was. At this point, Aang finally took notice of the fact that I was staring directly at him with my mouth slightly agape.

"Wait a minute, Morgan? Can you see me?" he asked. I gave a slow single nod so as to not alert the other two. His face seemed to brighten a little at that.

"Great! Now you can tell them I'm here!" he said. I tapped a finger to my lips, silently telling him to zip it. Another look of confusion passed over his face, and he started to question me on it, until I glared at him. The elder excused himself and went back to the big building at the other end of the village, leaving us alone again.

It wasn't long before Appa came lumbering up to us. Aang tried to get his attention, but the flying bison paid him no mind, instead nuzzling his snout up against Katara. The young woman had fallen asleep, leaning against the side of the gate. When the flying bison woke her, she smiled and rubbed the big guy's nose.

"It's okay, Appa, I'm sure they're on their way back. I bet they even found you a bunch of moon peaches for a treat," she said.

"Yeah, big guy, they'll be back in no time," I added, patting his side as he and Katara walked into the village. Once they were a short distance away, I whirled around and focused directly on Aang.

"What the hell happened out there?!" I asked. Aang was a little taken back, but quickly regained his footing.

"I don't know. I was following Sokka and the Spirit through the woods, I almost had him, and poof, they were gone," he said.

"Apparently there's more to it than that," I said, making a few up and down gestures to his now transparent form.

"We went back to the burnt stretch of forest. After I crashed, I woke up in a shrine of some sort," he said.

"A shrine?"

"Yeah, a bunch of statues, just sitting in the middle of the forest," he elaborated. I cupped my chin in thought. More then likely that had something to do with it.

"We need to find that shine," I said.

"Why? Sokka wasn't there," Aang said.

"No. But that Spirit went straight back there for a reason," I pointed out, "there's got to be some kind of connection."

"How is it that you can see me when no one else can?" he asked suddenly.

"I don't know, Aang, does it say 'Spirit Guru' across my forehead?" I replied. He shrugged before letting out a sigh.

"What am I suppose to do? Avatar Roku, how can I talk to you?" he yelled toward the sky. As if to answer him, a figure the same color as Aang appeared in the sky, coming at us fast. Looking closer, I realized that it was a dragon of some sort. Aang extended the wings on his glider and started to take off, but a hand from me caused him to freeze in place.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just wait. Let's see what it wants," I answered. In truth, I was both fascinated and terrified by the sight in front of me. It was an actual, honest to God dragon. Granted, a ghost dragon, but a dragon none the less. Both Aang and I stood our ground as it touched down in front of us, fighting every urge which screamed at us to run.

"You don't know where Sokka is, do you?" Aang asked. The dragon lowered it's head and extended a whisker. He was practically trembling with fear, until the whisker made contact with the center of his forehead. At that moment, his body went still and his eyes closed.

"You're Avatar Roku's animal guide, like Appa is to me. I need to save my friend and I don't know how, is there some way I can talk to Roku?" Aang asked after opening his eyes again. The dragon lowered it's head fully to ground, sliding it's neck around Aang like a snake. He looked at the dragon and then back at me, conflicted.

"Go get your answers, I'll find the shrine," I said. Aang nodded before climbing onto the dragon's back, and the two vanished into the sky. I watched them go for a moment longer before turning and heading back to Katara. She was petting the side of Appa's head, which the giant fluff ball seemed to be enjoying.

"I'm heading into the forest to look for them," I said.

"Morgan, are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked with concern evident.

"Better than just sitting here, waiting," I replied.

"Wait, I should go with you," she said, stopping me as I started to walk away. I was about to tell her to stay put, but a glance at Appa gave me another idea.

"Can you fly him?" I asked, patting the flying bison on the snout.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

* * *

I spent a good chunk of the day covering the forest by land, while Katara covered it from the sky. It was about midday when I finally found what I was looking for. The shrine was located on the edge of the burnt stretch of forest, about a few miles from the village. It contained several statues of bears, all of them around a single bear that had risen up on it's hind legs. Aang was sitting like he was meditating on top of said bear's head.

At first, I thought that the statue was of a grizzly, but on closer inspection I realized that it was a panda instead. I frowned as I ran what I knew over in my head. Hei Bai. The Black and White Spirit. According to Aang it had come straight here before vanishing. Wait a minute, black and white.

Pandas were black and white.

That was it! Hei Bai was the Spirit of the Forest, lashing out because of the fire. That had to be it. Otherwise I was fresh out of ideas and back to square one. I really hoped I was right this time around. Having a little faith in Aang's ability to find his way back, and lacking the energy to climb the statue myself, I turned and headed back toward the village.

The sun was starting to set when I got back. Katara gave me a hopeful look as the villagers were preparing to barricade themselves inside again.

"I have a theory," I told her.

"I was hoping for a little more then that," she said. I put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small smile.

"They'll turn up soon," I said. As if on cue, Aang flew out of the sunset on his glider. His form was back to it's normal color as he touched down in the center of the village.

"You're back!" she exclaimed, running to hug him. It took about three seconds to realize that he didn't have her brother with him.

"Where's Sokka?"

"I'm not sure," Aang answered, hanging his head.

"We need to get inside," I said as the light began to fade. As Katara went into the building, I grabbed Aang by the shoulder.

"You saw the statue at the shrine, right?" I asked.

"Yeah. You don't think…"

"Aang I saw the way that thing moved last night. It was lashing out like a wounded animal. It's got to be the forest Spirit, there's no other logical answer," I said.

"Okay. I trust you, I'll give it a try," he said before starting toward the gate just like the night before. I went inside and stood next to Katara at the window, watching, waiting for something to happen. After about a half hour of waiting, Aang turned and started back toward us.

I was expecting Hei Bai to come from the forest like he had the night before, not explode out the center of a house Poltergeist style. Aang yelled in surprise, bending a sphere of air around himself to fend off flying chunks of wood.

"Aang, what are you doing? Run!" Katara yelled before I slapped my hand over her mouth, trying to keep her quiet. I was too late, as the rampaging Spirit turned it's attention directly on us and started coming toward the building we were in. Aang ran forward, flipping over the Spirit and landing on the porch of the building, putting himself between it and us.

"You're the Spirit of this forest. Now I understand, you're upset and angry because your home was burned down. When I saw the forest, I was sad and upset. But my friend gave me hope that it would grow back," he said before holding aloft an acorn for the Spirit to see. Aang sat the acorn on the porch at his feet, where Hei Bai picked it up.

Turning, the giant black and white monster shifted it's form into a giant panda. We all watched as the panda walked through the village gate, causing a cluster of bamboo to grow in its place as it vanished into the shadows. From the bamboo came Sokka and three others, the villagers that Hei Bai had all kidnapped.

"Sokka!" Katara cried before running to embrace her brother.

"What happened?" he asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"You were trapped in the Spirit World for twenty four hours. How are you feeling?" Katara asked.

"Like I seriously need to use the bathroom," Sokka answered before grabbing his crotch and heading for the nearest outhouse. I closed my eyes and rocked back and forth on my feet. Sleep was going to be so sweetly embraced when it finally came.

"So, any idea what that was all about?" Aang asked. I let out a tired sigh.

"Honestly, I got nothing solid," I replied.

"An idea, then?"

"Part of one. I don't know, maybe there's someone out there who has answers. All I know is that it's not me," I said. By now, Sokka had returned from his break, the village leader was approaching us.

"Thank you, Avatar, for all you have done. If only there was a way to repay you," he said.

"You could give us some supplies, and some money," Sokka said.

"Sokka!" Katara said, elbowing her brother.

"What? We need stuff."

"It would be an honor to help you prepare for your journey," the man said with a bow before heading off to make the arrangements.

"I'm so proud of you Aang, you figured out what to do all on your own," Katara said.

"Actually, I did have a little help," Aang said, looking at me, "and there's something else."

"What is it?" Sokka asked.

"I need to talk to Roku, and I think I found a way to contact his spirit."

"That's great!" Katara said.

"Creepy, but great," Sokka added.

"So what, we going to use an Ouija board or something?" I asked, earning a look from the others.

"There's a temple on a crescent shaped island, and if I go there on the Solstice, I'll be able to speak with him," Aang explained, ignoring my statement.

"But the Solstice is tomorrow," Katara pointed out.

"Yeah, and there's one more problem. The island is in the Fire Nation."

 **And cut. That's it for this chapter. What did you guys think of the new developments? Drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you liked or didn't like and I'll see you all next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. This one is a touch shorter, but it also contains the first major changes to the plot. So let's dive into this:**

It was about three in the morning when we caught Aang trying to leave for the Fire Nation without us. He was pulling on the reins, trying to get Appa to move. But the bison was having none of it, instead sitting down and letting out a bellow of annoyance.

"Look, I'm sorry, but the others aren't coming to the Fire Nation with us. If they got hurt, I'd never forgive myself. So get your big butt off the ground and let's go!" he said before tugging on the reins again. Appa simply tugged his head backwards slightly, pulling Aang flat onto his rear.

"I think his big butt is trying to tell you something," Sokka said, gaining the airbender's attention.

"Please don't go, Aang. The world can't afford to lose you to the Fire Nation. And neither can I," Katara pleaded. He looked conflicted as he tried to look away from the big blue eyes she was flashing him.

"But I have to talk to Avatar Roku to find out what my vision means," Aang replied. Well, if talking him out of going the wasn't going to work, the next best thing was to tag along and make sure he didn't get set on fire. Without waiting on the others, I walked up Appa's tail and climbed into the saddle.

"Morgan, what are you…" Aang started, but a single finger from me silenced him.

"I have been up, watching your ass for the past forty eight hours. Wake me before I'm needed, and I'll throw you over the side of this fluff monster without your staff," I warned. He looked like he wanted to argue, but finally relented with a nod.

"Everyone mount up, we got a long way to go," I said, mainly to the siblings before settling into a comfy spot on the saddle and closing my eyes. My sleep was restless, but it was something I was growing use to. Several times since this whole thing began, I had slept only a couple of hours on the hard ground. The saddle was actually comfier than that, so I was able to get some sleep in.

"Morgan, wake up!" It was Katara, shaking my shoulder in a hurried manner. I cracked my eyes open, only to be greeted by the late morning sun.

"We there yet?" I asked as I rubbed sleep from my eyes.

"No, we got trouble," she answered.

"And it's gaining fast!" Sokka added, pointing downward behind us. I sat up and looked in the direction he was pointing. A lone Fire Navy ship was sailing after us. Judging by the waves breaking over it's bow and the way it was keeping up with us, whomever was in command of that thing really had a hard on for us.

Pulling my binoculars from my pack, I leaned against the edge of the saddle and got a closer look at the ship. Several crew members in Fire Nation armor were standing about while a section of the deck retracted. From below decks came a single catapult with a giant ball covered in oil. I watched as the ball was ignited.

"Guys, they got artillery," I reported. The catapult launched the fireball skyward, directly at us.

"INCOMING!"

"I'm on it!" Aang yelled before yanking the reins off to the right. Appa drifted hard in that direction, narrowly avoiding the fireball that arced upwards passed us before plummeting back toward the sea. Dear God, the smell. It was like someone had coated a skunk in motor oil before setting it on fire.

"We need to get out of Zuko's range, before he shoots another hot stinker at us," Katara said, covering her nose with her hands. Wait, what had she said? Zuko? I knew that name. I'd heard that name before. Where had I heard…?

"Can't you make Appa go any faster?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah, but there's just one little problem," Aang said, pointing out ahead of us. A blockade. Two rows of Fire Navy ships, stretching off as far as the eye could see to the North and South. All of them were much larger than the lone ship that was chasing us.

"If we fly North, we can go around the Fire Navy ships and avoid them, it's the only way," Aang said.

"There's no time," Katara said.

"This is exactly why I didn't want you guys to come, it's too dangerous!"

"And that's exactly why we're here," Katara replied.

"Let's run this blockade!" Sokka said. Aang looked passed him to me. Ah, screw it, I'd already died once.

"All ahead full, flyboy," I said. With a determined look on his face, the airbender turned back toward the blockade and cracked the reins.

"Appa, yip yip!" Appa rumbled before flexing his tail and gaining speed. Turning my attention away from our presuiers, I focused on the ships in front of us. I watched as fireball after fireball was ignited on the decks of the ships.

"They're lighting up!" I said. Exactly ten seconds later, every single ship fired. The fireballs streaked skyward, creating a wall of smoke as they went. Aang began to tug in one direction and than another, having Appa zip back and forth as the fireballs sailed passed us. A couple collided in mid air, exploding and raining hot coals down on us.

Aang pulled the reins back, sending us upward toward a cloudbank far overhead. His intention was to get us above the range of the fireballs, or at least out of sight of the blockade. This was quickly proven to be not the case as the cloudbank suddenly erupted with another volley of fireballs. Like before, we began to zig zag in an effort to dodge. This time, however, we couldn't see them until it was too late.

Another pair slammed into each other directly in front of us, exploding in Appa's face. The bison grumbled as he pushed through the oily black cloud. However the sudden shift hurled Sokka from the saddle and sent him plummeting into the clouds below.

"Sokka!" Aang yelled, yanking hard on the reins and sending Appa into a dive. The sky bison dove and managed to get under Sokka. Both Katara and I reached out and grabbed his hands before pulling him back into the saddle. It was just in time, as Appa skipped once off the top of a wave before continuing onward. A single fish flew out of the water, smacking Sokka in the face before being caught by Momo.

Now we were really close to the water's surface as the ships fired again. Fireballs rained down all around us, sending plumbs of water skyward. The ships were getting closer and closer now, much too close to actually fire on us. Or so I thought. We were within a hundred yards of the ships when a lone catapult fired.

Whomever had lined up this shot knew exactly what they were doing. At this range and altitude, there was no way for Appa to dodge in time. My body moved before my mind even registered what was going on. I stood, drawing my revolver and cocking it. Leveling the firearm, I squeezed the trigger, and was rewarded with a thundering bang.

The fireball exploded, the force of which knocked me off my feet. We zipped passed the command towers of the ships, watching the crews' shocked faces as we went past. Just like that, it was over.

"We made it!" Aang cried gleefully.

"We got into the Fire Nation. Great," Sokka said. Both he and Katara looked way less thrilled than Aang did. I sat up and opened the cylinders on the revolver. In my pack, I only had a single box of ammunition. Tilting the gun upward, I let the spent casing fall from it's cylinder. Fifty bullets when this adventure had begun. Only forty nine left now.

"What is that thing?" Katara asked. Sokka had picked up the empty casing and was studying it closely. I snapped the cylinders closed before returning the gun to it's holster.

"Something I had hoped I'd never have to use," I replied before leaning on the edge of the saddle and looking out over the sea.

"But what is it?" Sokka asked, not taking his eyes off of the shiny brass tube in his fingers.

"A weapon, the likes of which you've never seen," I said cryptically. They all wanted to ask more questions, but a glare from me made it clear that we weren't going to discuss it any further. The day wore on as we chased the sun further and further West. I tried getting some more sleep, but after that little fiasco with the blockade, it was clear that sleep wouldn't come for a while.

It was getting on toward dusk when we finally spotted the island. Shaped like a crescent moon, the tiny island was completely barren. A single active volcano rested at the heart of the island, sending constant streams of lava flowing down it's slopes. Resting on a large bluff about halfway up the volcano and well out of reach of the liquid fire was a lone building, the temple we were looking for.

"You did it, buddy. Nice flying," Aang said when we had touched down. Appa let out a bellow before rolling over onto his side. Katara began to rub his belly affectionately.

"Aw, you must be tired," she said.

"Nope, I'm good," Sokka said as he stretched out, "refreshed and ready to fight some firebenders."

"I was talking to Appa," Katara deadpanned.

"Well, I was talking to Morgan," Sokka replied, gesturing over his shoulder to me. I was in the process of stringing my bow and I shot him a glare.

"Bull."

"I mean, I was, talking to Momo?" he tried again, shifting to his other side. The limer in question was doing pull ups on the branch of a dead tree. At the mention of his name, he stopped moving and looked at Sokka with his large eyes. Satisfied that all my gear was ready, I sat down on a large rock and began to dig through my pack.

"Morgan, you coming? We're headed up to the temple now," Katara said. I looked up at her and then back down to my bag.

"No. It'll be way too close for comfort in there for me to operate," I answered, "besides, someone needs to stay here and keep an eye on things."

"Are you sure?" she asked. I noticed the concern in her voice and looked up from my pack.

"I'm sure. Now you guys had better get moving, the sun's about to set," I said. The young woman looked like she wanted to say more, but turned and went with the other two toward the temple. I watched them go before returning my attention to my pack. All I had in terms of entertainment was a single book, bound in a plain green cover with the words 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom' emblazoned in gold letters on the spine.

I ran a hand over the cover of the book, brushing away some dust before putting it back with a sigh. It was one of the few things I had left that connected me to my old home. Reading had once been a favorite pass time for me. But here, with the language barrier, I might as well had not been literate to begin with. My three traveling companions could read, but I hesitated to ask their help in teaching me.

Part of it was from embarrassment. Here I was, almost seventeen years old, and I couldn't read a single written word. I could hunt, I could put an arrow through the hole in a copper piece at fifty yards, I could survive off the land for months if needed, but read a sentence in the local language? It might as well have been an unbreakable code.

The other part was the suspicion I would more than likely draw. They would question why I couldn't read, pushing for answers. The more I'd tell, the more they'd ask, trying to know more about me and where I came from. Long story short, asking for reading help was a slippery slope that led straight to the nut house.

Sliding the book back into my pack, I let out another sigh before I looked up at the sinking sun. I wanted to trust my companions, I wanted to come right out and tell them everything. But I couldn't be sure what their reactions would be. We hadn't been traveling together that long. It'd be no skin off their noses if they decided to up and fly away without me.

"My, how deep in thought you are." I was on my feet at the sound of the new voice before I realized it, an arrow drawn back and at the ready. Standing a short distance away from me was a girl who appeared to be about eight or nine years old.

"Okay, little girl appearing out of no where, that's not creepy at all," I said.

"How are you adjusting, Jacob?" she asked, ignoring my comment. Her knowing my name wasn't doing her any favors in my book.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"A guide, sort of. I believe the term you would is 'guardian angel'," she answered.

"Right. And I'm suppose to believe you because?"

"After everything you've seen over the past month, is this really the most outlandish thing to have happened?" she asked. Okay, that was a fair point.

"Say I did believe you, what am I doing here?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious, Jacob? This is your afterlife," she said as if it was the simplest thing ever.

"My afterlife," I deadpanned. To say I didn't believe her would have been the understatement of the century.

"Of course. You do remember going over the waterfall and dying, don't you? Something like that isn't easily forgotten." I felt my eyes grow to the size of saucers. There wasn't a single other soul that knew what had happened at the falls.

"How did you.."

"Know about that? I told you, Jacob, I'm your guide to your new life. My job is to make sure you get settled in and adjusted properly," she explained.

"So what is this, reincarnation?"

"Not exactly. Rebirth is for those who have actually lived a little in life; someone who's reached a certain age or done something worth while. But you, you were just getting started in life, taken before your time. Thus, here you are," she said while sweeping her arms out to either side of her.

"Where is here, exactly?" I asked, lowering the bow slightly, but not fully. A look of puzzlement came over her face.

"You don't know?"

"Not really." She gave a sigh of disappointment.

"This world was chosen for you because it was once a great source of happiness for you. With time, it will be again. A new chance at a new life."

"And when I die again?"

"We shall see," she said, and left it at that. I lowered my bow fully now. Somehow, I knew every word she was telling me was the truth.

"There's no way for me to go home, is there?" I asked. Deep down in my gut, I already knew the answer. But I had to hear it out loud to be sure.

"No. You and this world are intertwined now, Jacob. There is no going back, only forward. Every choice you make, every arrow, every bullet, will effect the course of things to come."

"A simple 'no' would have worked," I muttered.

"Our time grows short, Jacob, if you have any last questions, it would be wise to ask them," she said, ignoring my statement again.

"Why is it that I could see Aang when he was in the Spirit World, but no one else could?" I asked.

"Only those who have pierced the Vail of Death can see beyond it," she answered cryptically. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Not that I didn't understand her meaning. Because I had died, I could see dead people, or Spirits, or whatever they were. I just wished it was a little less cliché.

"I've been here for nearly a month, why are you just now coming to me?" I asked.

"Two reasons: today is the solstice, and this island is the most spiritual place you have visited so far," she answered, counting off each reason on her fingers.

"I'm not going to be able to ask for help from you from here on out, am I?" I asked, already knowing the answer. Regardless, she shook her head.

"Remember, Jacob. Ultimately what you decide what to do with your new life is your choice. No options are off the table. Find love, do something worth while, and the next time we meet, you won't have to be burdened with memories of your previous life," she said before vanishing, turning into a fine dust that was blown away on the breeze.

I slowly sat back down on my rock and tried to process what had just happened. Insanity would have been my first choice to call what I had just experienced, if not for everything that had already happened to me. When it came right down to it, I didn't have a reason for not believing what I had just encountered. I didn't have a reason to believe it, either, but that was a glass-half-empty way of looking at it.

Surprisingly, I found myself being a lot more homesick than I had been recently. My family, my friends, they all thought I was dead, or at the very least missing if they hadn't found my body yet. I wanted to go to them, find a way to reassure them that I was alright. But I knew this was a pipe dream. There's no way for the dead to contact the living. At least, not the ones that had moved on to the next life anyway. If the girl and my own eyes were to be believed, I defiantly fell into this category.

I jumped when Momo landed directly in front of me, chattering up a storm. The little black and white fuzz ball was wearing some kind of pointed brown cap on his head. He kept turning, looking between me and the Temple as he chattered away. I looked between him and the building before letting out a sigh.

"Don't tell me, Aang fell down the lava pit?" I asked. Momo responded by hopping onto one of Appa's horns and screeching loudly, causing the flying bison to grumble in annoyance.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," I said before standing and climbing onto Appa's head. This was the first time I had ever flown him, so I wasn't expecting the best of outcomes. I took the reins and gave them a crack, ignoring the tradition of saying 'yip yip' in order to take off. Given how panicked Momo seemed, Appa just gave another grumble before taking off. We flew out over the water before I pulled the reins back toward the Temple.

As we leveled out, the very top spire of the building exploded. It was abundantly clear that whatever was going on inside was not good. I pulled my bow closer to me as we began to hover next to the building. A large section of wall had been blown out up here, allowing me to look inside despite the gloom of the fading sunlight.

There were several Fire Nation soldiers facing off against a single old man standing in a door way. Running past me was a young man, not much older than myself. Like the others, he was wearing Fire Nation armor. However his head was shaved, save for a single top knot on the very peak. On the side of his face that I could see, stretching from his eye back past his ear was a rather nasty burn scar.

Just as I started to draw back on the bow string, recognition hit me like a bolt of lightning. With Aang, Sokka, and Katara, it was all the same feeling, that sense you get when you know that you have seen someone before, but you can't for the life of you remember where or when that was. It wasn't like that for him. In an instant, I knew his name.

Zuko.

I fell back into the saddle as the memories came rushing at me.

 _"I have to restore my honor."_

 _"Some friendships are so strong, they can even transcend life times."_

 _"Drink cactus juice, it'll quench ya! Nothing's quenchier, it's the quenchiest!"_

The bow fell out of my hands, which were shaking so badly now there was no way I would have been able to use it in the slightest. The truth was staring me in the face, and it terrified me more than anything else. I didn't know if I wanted to faint, throw up, or jump over the side of the bison and plummet to my death. Nothing made sense anymore, and yet, for the first time in almost a month I was seeing things the clearer than ever before.

I knew now why everything seemed so familiar, why it felt like I had seen everyone before. It was because I had seen everyone before. A long time ago, as a kid.

On the television in my parents' living room.

My afterlife, my 'reward', was a life in a TV show I had watched as a kid.

My hands gripped the sides of my head as I fought to keep from having a full blown panic attack. There was no way this could be real. None of it could be real. It had be a dream, or a trick of some kind. Yet, everything around me felt real. The saddle beneath me, the sulfur and sea salt mix on the air. Even the trio of companions as they jumped from the building to Appa.

Aang took over from me and steered the flying bison away from the Temple. The building was now leaning to one side very badly. As we headed out over open sea, it fully collapsed into one of the many lava flows that streamed down the volcano's side. I sat in the back of the saddle, staring down at my still shaking hands in silence.

The girl had said that this world had been chosen because it was something that had brought me happiness, which was true. When I was a kid, that show had been a great source for afternoon entertainment after school. There were days where several friends and I had spent our entire recess time reenacting scenes of bending battles by throwing fake martial arts moves at each other. To see all of this start to come to life, it was both a dream come true and a nightmare in the making.

"Morgan, are you okay?" I almost didn't hear Katara ask the question. My eyes slowly moved from my hands, to the young woman I had grown to trust with my life over the past few weeks. Her face was filled with concern as she looked at me with her deep blue eyes. Suddenly my heart was filled with pain. My friend wasn't real. She was a character in a story, a story I had loved as a child. Here she sat, right in front of me, and she wasn't real.

Was she?

Katara slid forward on her knees and took my hands in hers. She didn't say anything, but that worried look remained and deepened even. I felt the smoothness of her skin, the warmth of her hands against mine, the life contained within them. My mind said she wasn't real, everything else disagreed. Without warning, I surged forward and pulled her into a hug. She found this surprising, as I had never really given anything more than a pat on the shoulder to anyone.

"Morgan?"

"I'm scared, Katara," I said, low enough that only she could hear. I clung to her, as if letting go would mean everything would turn to dust and be blown away by the wind. Slowly, she raised her arms and returned the hug.

"Everything's going to be alright," she said.

"No, no it's not," I answered.

"What do you mean? Morgan, what's bothering you?" she asked, pulling back so she could look at me properly. I still had my hands on her upper arms, still utterly terrified that she'd vanish if I let go.

" I think I'm going insane. Nothing makes sense, anymore," I said.

"Morgan, I don't know what you're talking about," she said gently.

"I lost EVERYTHING back home, and everything now, it's like it's there but I know it's not real. You, Aang, Sokka, I know you're here, I KNOW you're real, and yet, I know you're not," I said.

"Morgan…"

"I'm scared, Katara, because I don't know what's real anymore," I interrupted. Rather than say anything, she opted to pull me back into another hug. Once again, I held tight, terrified of the possible alternative.

"You can depend on me, Morgan. I'm here, I'm real," she promised into my ear. Her words did some to relax both my mind and my body. I held the hug a little longer before leaning back and very hesitantly letting go.

"Thank you," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. She gave me a warm smile before turning toward Aang to comfort him from his experience in the Temple. I watched her go to the other end of the saddle before picking up my bow and returned the arrow to it's quiver. Turning my eyes toward the horizon, I watched as the moon began to rise. The girl had said that my actions would have effects on what was to come.

Looking down at my hands in the silver light, I could still see them tremble slightly. I didn't remember much from the show, only a few major details and that was about it. There was going to be no guiding toward the 'right' ending or anything like that. My actions, my choices, they'd all have effects. I looked toward my friends. Where they real? Was I, for that matter? All I knew was that lives were in danger, a war was on, and Aang needed to learn the elements. I couldn't just abandon them and the world I was slowly getting to know despite everything.

Could I?

 **And cut. Morgan finally used his gun, and some questions got answered. What did you guys think? I wanna know. Drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you guys liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. Let's get into it:**

I was sitting in silence, staring off at the mountains when Aang began his pacing. The poor kid had been doing this to himself ever since we'd left the Crescent Island, constantly working himself up into a panic at what he had to accomplish by the end of next summer. After I had managed to somewhat recover from my own panic attack, I had worked out what had been said between Aang and his past life.

Apparently there was a comet that was set to pass sometime toward the end of the coming summer. Aang had until then to defeat the Fire Lord, otherwise the Fire Nation would gain untold power from the comet and finally bring the War to an end. I remembered a few of these details from the show, but the finer points I needed to be brushed up on.

Having only one of the four elements under his belt, and now being on a rather tight time constraint, it was understandable that Aang was on the verge of panic himself.

"Would you sit down?" Sokka said from his place on Appa's head, "if we hit a bump, you'll go flying off. What's bugging you, anyway?"

"It's what Avatar Roku said. I'm suppose to master all four elements before that Comet arrives," Aang said.

"Well let's see, you pretty much mastered airbending and that only took you a hundred and twelve years. I'm sure you can master three more by next summer," Sokka said, grinning to himself at his joke. I couldn't help but smirk at that as well. Aang, however, seemed to take it as his que to bump up his panic to the next level.

"I haven't even started waterbending yet, and we're still weeks away from the North Pole! What am I going to do?!"

"Aang, calm down," Katara said, reaching out and catching his wrist.

"Seriously, at this rate you'll bust a blood vessel or something," I said as she gently pulled him down into the saddle.

"If you want, I can try to teach you some of the stuff I know," she offered.

"You'd do that?" Aang asked, earning a nod from her.

"We'll need to find a good source of water first," she said as they crawled to the edge of the saddle and looked down at the landscape below us.

"Maybe we can find a puddle for you to splash in," Sokka said. It took them all of an hour to find their puddle, which just so happened to be a river with a large waterfall surround on all sides by pine forest. I'm not going to lie, as far as hiding spots go, you could have done a lot worse than this place.

"Nice puddle," Sokka deadpanned. The other two looked like they had died and gone to heaven. Even Appa seemed to think so, as he did a belly flop in the middle of the river and began to roll around, enjoying himself.

"Yeah! Don't start without me, boy!" Aang yelled, having already stripped down to his skivvies in the blink of an eye.

"Remember the reason why we're here," Katara said, stopping the airbender mid stride.

"Oh, right. Time to practice waterbending," he said before pulling his pants back on.

"I just want to point out that it's a little disturbing on how fast you're able to get your clothes off," I said.

"It's a gift," he replied with a shrug.

"So what are Morgan and I suppose to do?" Sokka asked.

"You could clean the gunk out of Appa's toes," Aang suggested, picking up a branch and offering it to us.

"So while you guys are playing in the water, we're suppose to be hard at work cleaning mud out of a giant bison's feet?" he asked.

"Mud and bugs." Sokka and I looked at each other.

"Okay," he said, taking the stick and heading toward Appa.

"I'm going hunting," I said as I turned toward the saddle and began to put my bow together. As the flying bison settled into the water, blowing bubbles from his snout, I set off into the woods. I still hadn't told the others about my visitor on the Island, or the realization that I'd had shortly after that. In fact, I had no intention of telling them. Ever.

Imagine how that conversation would go with someone. 'Hi, your life is a complete work of fiction where I come from, and my being here is sure to fuck up the narrative, wanna be friends?' If your immediate reaction wasn't to laugh, throw said person in an insane asylum, or get as far away from their crazy ass as possible, more power to you.

No, it was much safer and easer to just stick with the story I had fabricated. Katara already suspected that the Montana I had created in the Eastern Earth Kingdom had been destroyed by the Fire Nation thanks to my choice of words during my breakdown. Frankly I saw no reason to correct her. My home was, technically, gone, and if it's supposed location was supposedly a pile of ash no one had any reason to visit, all the more reason to use it as a back story.

I genually did not like lying to them. In the month since I had met them, they'd shown me nothing but respect and friendship. They'd let me come along, despite the fact that they knew virtually nothing about me. But still, who knows how they'd react to the truth?

Aang suspected something. He may have been a goofball, but he wasn't an idiot by a long shot. After the Hai Bai incident, he knew that I could see Spirits while others could not. I knew that he was at least curious about what else I could do. My break down at the temple hadn't helped matters, and I could tell he was just bursting to ask me about it all.

Sokka was probably the most chilled out of the three. He knew that something was up thanks to my break down, but he respected me enough to give me my space and not bring the subject up, focusing on being in the here and now.

Katara was the one who I foresaw having the most trouble with. Being as it was literally her shoulder that I had leaned on for support, she'd taken it upon herself to double check and see how I was handling things. Although I found her coddling to be a little annoying, I also found her to be endearing. I wanted to tell her everything, I wanted her to know who I really was, and for her to accept that with open arms. Out of the three, she was the one I had a soft spot for. If I wasn't careful, I'd spill my guts to her and not even realize it until it was too late.

I managed to bag a couple of chipmunk squirrels and a deer rabbit before I turned and headed back toward the camp we had made. There were some signs of larger game about, but I hadn't actually seen any in person. At least we had resupplied not that long ago, so I wouldn't have too much to worry about here.

When I got back to camp, I was just in time to watch Aang bend a rather large wave of water. Sokka was knocked into the river from his perch atop Appa's belly, and a lot of our supplies were swept away in the current. I groaned as I realized what I had with me was all we had to eat.

"I think that's enough practice for today," Katara said.

"I'll say, you just practiced our supplies down the river!" Sokka said from his spot in the water.

"Uh, sorry. I'm sure we can find somewhere to replace all this stuff," Aang replied with a guilty smile on his face.

"It was hard enough when you were just an airbender," Sokka muttered before sinking into the water. I rolled my eyes at his dramatics. Actually no, I rolled my eyes at the whole situation. We didn't have much money left, which meant we'd be relying more and more on my skills as a hunter and gatherer.

Without a word, I sat down and began the process of skinning and cooking what I had managed to get. There wasn't much meat to work with, but it was enough that when combined with a few wild herbs and water from the river, it'd make a lovely stew. I soon had a small fire going, and had a pot sitting over the flames.

"That's an interesting necklace," came Katara's voice. I was busy adding some seasonings to the pot from my pack. Glancing down, I noticed that my necklace was hanging down outside of my shirt, in plain view of anyone who was looking.

"It was my grandfather's," I said, tucking it back in my shirt before I went back to stirring.

"I lost my mother's necklace when we first met," she said sadly, her hand going to her neck as if to grasp something that wasn't there. I looked up at her with a frown. Now that I thought back on it, she had been wearing a necklace when we had first met. But it had vanished after the whole prison uprising with Haru. I'd been under the assumption that it had been seized when she had been arrested, but apparently I was wrong.

"Blue strand, white stone?" I asked.

"Yeah, how did you…?"

"I remember seeing you with it before you got arrested by the Fire Nation back in Pat To," I explained.

"It was the only thing I had left of my mother," she said.

"I'm sorry," I said, not quite sure how to handle this situation. She didn't respond, but rather clenched her fist at the spot where her mother's necklace once hung. I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner. Without looking at me, she reached up with her free hand and placed it on top of mine. After a moment, she looked up at me and gave me a small smile, as if to tell me she was alright.

"What's on those metals?" she asked, motioning toward my necklace as I lowered my hand and returned to my cooking.

"Saint Christopher and Saint Michael. The patrons of travelers and soldiers. Seems kind of fitting given the situation we're in," I answered.

"What do you mean?"

"Look at what we're doing right now. We're traveling with Aang all across the world so that he can bring the War to an end. I think the patrons of travelers and soldiers would be some guys we'd want on our side," I explained.

"You'll have to tell me about them sometime," she said.

"Sometime," I echoed, giving her the ghost of a smile. At that moment, Sokka appeared above us.

"Hey, there's a town not that far down river. We're headed there to restock on our supplies," he said.

"I'll go, if anything to keep you two from wasting what little money we got left on stuff we don't need," Katara said as she got to her feet. I waved the two of them off. Someone had to stay and watch the camp, and besides, I had food on the stove. So to speak.

The three of them headed off towards town, leaving me alone with the camp, the river, and Appa. I finished preparing the stew, setting it off to the side so that it wouldn't burn. With that done, I set up a makeshift target and began to practice with my bow. As I fired arrow after arrow, I found myself singing softly to myself. Some people sing in the shower, me, I do it while I'm target practicing.

' _Country Roads, take me home.'_

 _'To the place I belong.'_

 _'West Virginia.'_

 _'Mountain Mamma'_

 _'Take me home, Country Roads.'_

To my surprise, I found my eyes actually watering a little. I was homesick, a lot more than I would have liked to admit. I missed my family and my friends. Chances were I would never see any of them ever again. How do you cope with something like that? For me, I guess I sing and put arrows into things.

I shot until my arms grew tired, after which I settled down next to the small fire I had made and began prodding it with a stick. After I was satisfied that it wasn't going to just burn itself out, I pulled out my knife and began to carve random symbols into the stick I was using out of boredom. Next time, I was going into town, not getting left behind at camp.

When the trio finally came back, it was nearing dusk, and I could tell something was wrong immediately. For one, they'd left on foot, but came back with Aang flying his glider and the two siblings clinging to his legs. I stood and walked out to meet them.

"What happened?" I asked.

"A group of pirates chased us and tried to skin us alive," Sokka replied as he handed over a bag full of supplies.

"Making friends everywhere we go as usual, I see," I said as I opened the bag and shifted through it's contents. There wasn't much there, a reflection on the fact that our money was running low.

"I use to kind of look up to pirates, but those guys were just terrible," Aang said as he folded up his glider.

"I know, that's why I took this," Katara said, revealing a scroll. The look on her face and her tone of voice made it clear she was pretty proud of herself.

"No way," Aang said as moved in closer to get a better look at it.

"Isn't it great?"

"No wonder they were trying to hack us up, you stole their waterbending scroll," Sokka said.

"I prefer to think of it as 'high risk trading'," she replied rather smugly, earning a laugh from Aang. Clearly there was some context I wasn't getting there.

"Sokka, where do you think THEY got it? They stole it from a waterbender," Katara continued, this time being much more serious.

"It doesn't matter. You put all of our lives in danger just so you could learn some stupid, fancy splashes," Sokka said, anger growing in his voice.

"These are real waterbending forms. You know how crucial it is for Aang to learn waterbending," Katara defended, her own anger rising. I was watching all of this going on with a firm frown on my face.

"Whatever. Morgan is that stew done?" Sokka asked, giving up on the argument for the time being.

"Yeah, help yourself. Don't eat it all," I answered as he started to walk toward the campfire. Katara seemed content with this outcome, until she noticed the look on my face.

"Morgan, what do you think?" she asked, her demeanor shifting again, this time to concern.

"Pirates aren't exactly the forgive and forget type, Katara. Just hope this little venture doesn't come back to bite us in the ass," I said, pointing a finger toward the scroll in her hand.

"What's done is done," Aang said, "we have it, we might as well use it." I couldn't argue with his logic, so I headed back toward the campfire myself, hoping that I wasn't right in this situation.

* * *

I was right. I'm starting to hate it when I'm right. Katara spent the rest of the afternoon trying to learn a form on the scroll. She only succeeded in cracking herself in the face with a water whip, and doing the same to Momo on the rear. When Aang tried to help her, she finally snapped, blowing up at him for getting the hang of it a lot easier than her.

It was right about then that I chose to make myself scarce. I'd never liked drama, always choosing to distance myself from a source of the stuff whenever it sprung up. In this case, I decided that I'd be spending the night in the woods a short distance away from the camp. That, and I wanted to keep an eye out in case the pirates decided to show up. This river was large enough to sail up, and the object stolen was a waterbending scroll. It wouldn't be long before someone got the idea to search this area. With that in mind, I found a tree to rest in, and settled down for the night.

Sometime in the early morning hours, I heard the sounds of someone moving through the underbrush. In the light of the crescent moon, I saw Katara headed toward the river, the scroll clenched firmly in her hands. I let out a short, soft, irritated grunt. The girl was so focused on leaning waterbending that she wasn't taking into consideration the dangers of heading off into the woods alone at night.

I thought about going after her, but decided against it, preferring instead to settle in and listen to her yell at the water as she attempted to work with it. She wasn't being very subtle about it, either. Her voice was only getting louder as her frustration grew. Part of me found it amusing to just lay there and listen to her struggle. In a way, this was karma for her theft.

My amusement vanished as I heard the sound of something large and metallic scrapping against something. I frowned as I listened. It sounded like metal being dragged across rock. Probably a metal boat beaching itself on the river shoreline.

"No, let me go!" Katara shouted shortly afterward. I was on my feet in an instant, bow at the ready as I headed toward the sound of her voice. When I reached the river's edge, I crouched in the foliage and looked over the scene before me with a calculating eye. In the gloom of the moonlight, I could make out the sails of a junk ship, beached on the riverbank.

Two distinct groups were standing around a small tree near the water's edge. On was a group dressed in the reds and blacks of Fire Nation military, while the other was a ragtag group of heavily armed individuals. If I had to guess, the second group was the pirates Katara had snatched the scroll from.

Speaking of Katara, she was tied to the tree between the two groups with her hands behind her back. I nocked an arrow as I crept closer to the river, moving toward the pirates rather than the soldiers.

"Tell me where he is, and I won't hurt you or your brother," Zuko said. Of course he was here. That explained the Fire Nation presence.

"Go jump in the river!" Katara snapped, venom in her voice. Realizing that his current strategy wasn't going to work, the Prince changed tactics.

"Try to understand, I need to capture him to restore something I've lost: my honor. Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost," he said as he moved behind her. He then raised something and held it to Katara's neck. I drew back on the draw string, ready to shoot the Prince in his good eye.

"My mother's necklace!" she said with surprise, causing me to freeze. He wasn't about to strangle her like I had thought, he was tempting her with something she held dear. I held off as he walked back around in front of her, showing the necklace off in a tantalizing fashion.

"Where did you get that?" Katara demanded.

"I didn't STEAL it, if that's what you're wondering. Tell me where he is," Zuko said again, holding the necklace toward her. In the silver light, I could just make out the necklace dangling from his hand. It's stone almost seemed to gleam under the moon, and I realized that I had a chance to do something stupid.

Raising my bow again, I drew the arrow back until the tips of my fingers were just barely brushing against the corner of my mouth. I lined up the shot and held my breath to steady myself. This was no different than any of the trick shots I had been practicing with the coins. Well, that's what I kept repeating in my head, anyway. With a simple flick of my fingers, I released and let my arrow fly.

It sailed through the night like the silent missile that it was, snatching the necklace from Zuko's grasp before continuing on it's trip, narrowly missing one of the soldiers and impacting a tree on the far side of the two groups.

"What the…?" Zuko asked, surprised and confused at what had just happened.

"Archer!" A man in a rather large hat yelled, I'm guessing the Captain of the pirates.

"It's one of her little friends, spread out and find him!" Zuko ordered. I blinked in surprise, stunned at the shot I had just pulled off. Stunned, and a little proud. Until I realized that now I was the one being hunted as several of Zuko's men began to disperse into the woods, looking for me. I held my ground, waiting for them to leave so I could move toward Katara.

"We didn't get dragged out here to get skewered with arrows, we came for the scroll!" the Captain demanded. Zuko pulled said scroll from his belt.

"I wonder how much money this is worth," he thought out loud, igniting a flame in his hand and holding the scroll over it. This earned several panicked gasps from the pirates. Zuko smirked in triumph, knowing he had the upper hand.

"A lot, apparently. Find the boy and bring him back here. You get the scroll and we all go home happy," he said.

"Fine," the Captain grumbled before he and his men headed off into the woods as well. Finally, I had the chance I was looking for. I slipped forward, taking great care to disturb as little of the undergrowth as I could, circling around Zuko and Katara as I went. Finding my arrow, I retrieved it and put it back in my quiver before pocketing the necklace.

With this done, I made my way back toward the two, who seemed to be the only ones left on the riverbank. Zuko had taken to pacing back and forth, waiting for the others to return. Katara was subtly struggling against the rope that held her, but was making no headway. I moved like I was stalking some prey, gliding through the underbrush like a phantom. Finally, I was close enough to Katara that I could reach out and touch her, not that either she or Zuko knew I was there.

I waited until Zuko began the return trip on his pacing, passing only a couple of feet from myself and Katara. Like a lion to a gazelle, I pounced out of the foliage, tackling the Prince to the ground before he could react. Drawing my hunting knife, I brought the pommel down square in the middle of his forehead twice. His gold colored eyes rolled back into his head as the force of the blows knocked him out.

"Morgan?" Katara asked, stunned by my sudden appearance.

"Shh!" I hissed as I quickly cut the rope binding her before taking her hand and leading her back into the trees.

"Morgan, where are we..?"

"Hush! We're not the only ones out here," I whispered as I pulled her down into a bush. Given the blue color of her clothing, it was going to be difficult to blend into the foliage. The fact that the sun was now starting to rise wasn't helping either. In broad daylight, she'd stick out like a sore thumb.

"We need to get back to Sokka and Aang," Katara whispered.

"You didn't wander too far from camp, the pirates have probably got them by now," I replied.

"So what do we do now?"

"We wait for them to be brought to us."

"And when that's done?"

"I'm still working on that part," I answered. The more the sun rose, the harder it would be for me to move around undetected. I was heavily outnumbered, even if I decided to use my gun. There was a chance I could pick them off one by one in hit and run attacks, providing enough of a distraction for the others to escape. That was, risky, to say the least.

By the time morning had fully set in, both groups had returned from the woods. The pirates had Aang and Sokka tied up and with them. Zuko had by now woken up and waiting with the scroll in his hands as if nothing had happened, despite the rather nasty welt that was forming in the middle of his forehead.

"Nice work," the Prince said, stepping forward, ready to hand over the scroll. Sokka was struggling against his binds, while Aang looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"This is all my fault," Katara said under her breath, mainly to herself.

"Yeah, it kind of is," I replied, earning a glare from her.

"Give me the boy," Zuko said.

"YOU give US the scroll," the Captain replied. Right on cue, Sokka stopped struggling against his restraints and let his mouth run.

"You're really gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?" he asked, disbelief in his voice.

"Don't listen to him, he's trying to turn us against each other," Zuko said.

"Your friend is the Avatar?" the Captain asked, ignoring Zuko as he looked at Aang.

"Sure is! And I'll bet he'll fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll," Sokka replied.

"Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!" Zuko snapped.

"What's he doing?" Katara hissed.

"Playing the situation to our advantage," I replied, having already caught on to Sokka's endgame.

"I'm just saying, it's bad business. Just imagine how much the Fire Lord would be willing to pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life," Sokka continued on. The more he talked, the more the faces of the pirates around him began to light up.

"Keep the scroll. We can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for the kid," the Captain said, bringing the deal to an end with a wave of his hand. Zuko handled it about as well as you'd expect.

"You'll regret breaking a deal with me," he snarled before he and two others unleashed fire blasts at the pirates. Just like that, the fight was on. Several of the pirates threw smoke bombs, covering the entire river bank in a thick gray cloud. What glimpses I could see through the smoke convinced me this wasn't a battle, but rather an all out brawl.

"Come on!" I said, motioning for Katara to follow. I ignored the sounds of metal clashing into metal as we ran down the riverbank, away from the fighting and toward the junk that was beached into the riverbank. Almost instantly, she began throwing her weight into the hull, trying to push it back into the river.

"Morgan, help me," she grunted.

"This thing is at least a ton, there's no way we're gonna get it back into the water," I said.

"Well then what do you suggest?" she snapped.

"Katara, Morgan! You guys are alright!" Aang yelled as he and Sokka came running up to us.

"And here we are. Aang, Katara, you'll have to waterbend it back into the water," I said.

"Do what now?" Aang asked.

"Boat, plus river, means us getting away," I answered slowly, making wide gestures toward each of the things I was talking about. Ordinarily I wouldn't have been acting like this. But I was tired from being up all night, and I was more than ready to put these two groups behind us. Both Katara and Aang finally caught on to what I was talking about, and began to work together to raise the water around the ship enough to get it to float.

With the junk successfully back in the water, we climbed on board and were sailing away as quickly as we could. It didn't take long before the pirates had hijacked Zuko's boat and were coming after us. I nocked and arrow and assumed a ready stance on the stern of the ship, watching as the metal craft drew closer and closer.

"Sokka, can't you make it go any faster?" Aang asked from one of the masts.

"I don't know how! This thing wasn't made by the Water Tribe!" he replied.

"Don't bother. That damn thing is steam powered. It'll run us down every day of the week and twice on weekends," I said as the craft began to pull along side us. I drew the arrow back and let it fly. One of the pirates that had been jumping on board caught the arrow with his shoulder. He lost all momentum as he toppled into the river between the two craft.

A second man landed on the deck before I had a chance to draw another arrow, swinging a dagger at me. I brought my bow up and batted his swipe to the side. Before he could recover, I brought the bow back, smacking him in the face with one of the arms. He stumbled backwards, blinded from the strike. I lunged forward, throwing all my force into my shoulder as I slammed into him, sending him backwards over the rail and into the river.

The others fought off the pirates pretty well. By that, I mean that Katara water whipped one over the side, Aang airbended two overboard and swept one away with a large wave of water. Sokka managed to get thrown into a sail. It was kind of amusing, if you didn't take into account that our lives were in danger.

"Guys, look!" Katara yelled, pointing ahead of us. There was a waterfall, of course there was a waterfall. Aang found himself face to face with one last pirate, a guy with a light green shirt and what appeared to be lipstick on his face. He was holding a dagger, brandishing it at Aang. The young airbender reached into his shirt and pulled out a small, white, bison shaped whistle. He blew, only for no sound to come out.

The look on the pirate's face said it all. He couldn't believe he had to put up with this. Which is what made it all the more painful when one of my arrows appeared in the back of his left shoulder. He screamed in pain, but didn't have any time to react as Sokka appeared and roundhouse kicked him over the side of the ship.

"This is no time for flute practice!" he scolded, earning a bashful grin from Aang.

"We can stop the boat! Aang, together, push and pull the water!" Katara instructed. Together the two began to waterbend the river around us. Thankfully, they were able to bring the boat to a complete stop just before we went over the falls, allowing us to breathe a sigh of relief. This lasted for about two seconds, until Zuko's now unmanned boat slammed into ours. The two inexperienced waterbenders were no match for both craft, and we went over the side of the falls screaming.

"JUMP!" Aang yelled, which we all did, trying to get out as far away from the two boats and the falls as we could. We didn't fall far, as a giant flying bison suddenly appeared beneath us. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a fluff monster in my entire life.

"I knew a bison whistle would come in handy. Thanks, Appa," Aang said.

"Yeah, we owe you one," Sokka added. The bison just gave out a short grunt, as if to say 'yep'. With the danger now over, I sat my bow down and slowly lowered myself to the saddle. The others had gotten some sleep during the night, I hadn't, and it was starting to catch up with me.

"Aang, I still owe you an apology," Katara said as we climbed above a cloudbank, "you were just so good at waterbending without really trying. I got competitive and I put us all in danger, I'm sorry."

"That's okay, Katara."

"Besides, who needs that stupid scroll, anyway?" she asked, not noticing her brother slip his hand into his shirt.

"Is that really how you feel?" he asked, holding it out. Instantly, Katara's eyes lit up.

"The scroll!" she said, reaching out for it. But a hand from Sokka stopped her.

"First, what did you learn?" he asked.

"Stealing is wrong," she answered before snatching the scroll from his grasp, "unless it's from pirates." Aang burst out laughing, and I just shook my head with a tired grin. I closed my eyes, willing sleep to come.

"Hey, Morgan?" I opened my eyes and turned my head toward Katara. Sokka was securing our stuff to the saddle, and Aang had gone to sit on Appa's head.

"Thanks for coming after me," she said. Rather than answer, I tossed her the necklace I had recovered. She looked at it and at me, stunned into a shocked silence. I simply gave her a tired half smile and a wink before closing my eyes again and letting sleep claim me.

 **And cut. Some more plot changes, and before anyone accuses me of it, no, the song is not a reference to Fallout 76. I actually had planned on using it in this before that game was announced. But yeah, thanks for messing that up, Bethesda. As always, remember to review, leave a PM, or do something to let me know what you liked or didn't like about the chapter. Feel free to ask questions, and I'll see you all next time.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. I've gotten some complaints that Morgan is just following along with what happened in the show and not really doing anything. To those people, I say this is the chapter you've been waiting for, as the first major delves from the plot are here, as well as some other developments. So, let's get on with it:**

About a week had passed since the incident with the scroll and the pirates. We'd moved out of the pine forests and into a more temperate style. The leaves on the trees had actually changed color. I was sitting on a stump, running my whetstone over the blade of my knife, pausing every once in a while to double check on my work.

"Hey, has anyone seen Momo?" Aang asked. As if to answer him, a loud screech which resembled the lemur in question echoed through the forest. We all followed the noise to find Momo and a pair of hog monkeys hanging in sphere shaped metal cages. Aang airbended his way up to his pet, lowering the cage to the ground where Katara and Sokka opened the cage and freed him. Momo leapt out of the cage and began to eat on some nuts as if nothing had happened, causing Sokka to face palm.

"Alright, you too," Aang said as he started to airbend his way back up to the hog monkeys.

"This is going to take forever," Sokka said impatiently before he drew his boomerang and threw it. It cut the rope on the two remaining traps, sending them free falling toward the ground before Aang could reach them.

"That works." I bent down and began to examine the traps. They were some pretty decent metalwork. More than likely they were Fire Nation traps, set up to feed some nearby garrison.

"These are Fire Nation traps, you can tell by the metalwork," Sokka said as he examined the traps as well, "we should pack up camp and get moving." None of us had an argument for that, so we headed back and packed up as quickly as we could. Just as Katara began handing some bags to Aang, Sokka spoke up again.

"Uh, uh, no flying this time," he said, stopping them and putting the pack they had been loading on the ground.

"What, why wouldn't we fly?" Aang asked.

"Think. Somehow Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us. It's because they spot Appa, he's just too noticeable," Sokka answered.

"What? Appa's not too noticeable," Katara said, coming to the flying bison's defense.

"He's a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on his head, it's kind of hard to miss him," Sokka said. Appa let out a loud grumble, as if to protest the criticisms being sent his way.

"Sokka is just jealous cause he doesn't have an arrow," Aang said soothingly.

"I know you all want to fly, by my instincts tell me we should play it safe this time and walk," Sokka continued. Okay, now I had to speak up.

"Okay, quick question for your instinct. How is walking the safer alternative to flying, exactly?" I asked.

"Like I said, the Fire Nation always spots Appa."

"Right, and the fact they control half the continent doesn't factor in at all, does it," I said.

"If we can slip through on foot, the Fire Nation will never even know we were here."

"Yeah, you know what's kept us a step ahead of them all this time? FLYING on the gigantic fluffy monster with the arrow on his head," I argued, jerking my thumb over my shoulder. Appa let out a short roar, as if to agree with me.

"We stand less of a chance being detected if we go on foot," Sokka said .

"We stand less of a chance getting caught by a patrol if we fly," I shot back.

"My instincts say…"

"Gut feelings don't count," I interrupted, "either put up a good counter argument, or zip it."

"We're going to get spotted by the Fire Nation, what more reason do you want?" Sokka asked.

"Who made you the boss?" Katara asked with her hands on her hips. She must have sensed the growing tension between us and chosen this moment to intervene.

"I'm not the boss, I'm the leader," he replied, earning a scoff from his sister.

"You're the leader? Your voice still cracks," she said.

"I'm the oldest and I'm a warrior, so that makes me the leader," he countered, deepening his voice as he went because it did, indeed, crack.

"On what grounds? You're not the oldest and I'm just as good at fighting as you, if not more so," I countered.

"If anyone is the leader, it's Aang," Katara said, "I mean he is the Avatar."

"Are you kidding? He's just a goofy kid," Sokka said. As if to prove the point, Aang was hanging upside down from one of Appa's horns.

"He's right."

"Why do boys always have to have a leader? I bet you two wouldn't be so wound up if you kissed a girl," Katara continued.

"I've kissed a girl, you just, haven't met her," Sokka said. I was going to bring up the fact that having your first kiss didn't really matter, or defend the fact that I actually had shared my first kiss before, but I never got the chance.

"Who? Gran Gran? I've met Gran Gran," Katara taunted.

"No. Besides Gran Gran. Look, my instincts…"

"There you go with your damn instincts again," I said, frustrated, "if your instincts told you to stick your head in that knot hole over there, would you do it?"

"A leader has to trust his instincts."

"And that's another thing, who the hell died and appointed you leader of this outfit? I didn't vote you in, none of us did. Where do you get off telling me what to do all day?" I asked, my anger starting to rise. Being asked to do something was one thing. Being ordered to do it was another.

"I've had experience in this area back at our village. You're just a nobody hunter from some hole in the ground called Montana," Sokka replied. I felt my chest clench in anger.

"Aang, get out your map," I snarled. The airbender did as he was told, seeing the look on my face and hearing the tone in my voice. I unrolled the paper scroll and looked it over before pointing at a rather large dot near the coastline.

"What's this place called?"

"Taku," Aang answered. That was good enough.

"Alright. I'll meet you all in Taku in two weeks," I said, rolling the map back up and tossing it back to Aang.

"Wait, you're splitting off from us?" Katara asked.

"Yeah, better then following this idiot up his own ass," I answered, gesturing toward Sokka as I began to gather my gear. This was something that had been brewing for a few weeks now. Sokka tended to get into bossy moods, giving out orders and the like. Which was something I found to be very, very annoying. I figured either I get some time away from him now, or I'd turn him into a pin cushion.

"Hey, I'm not an idiot!" Sokka defended.

"You've got your head so far up your ass, it's struggling to make room for your shoulders," I replied.

"Yes, he can be an idiot, but is that really worth going our separate ways?" Katara asked, ignoring her brother and putting a hand on my chest. I paused for a moment. It's not like I wanted to part ways with her. But her brother was just so damn frustrating…

"I just need a little break is all. Two weeks, and we're back together," I promised. With that, I gave her a hug, shook Aang's hand, gave Sokka a glare, and set out into the forest on my own.

* * *

A few days after leaving the group, I arrived at the edge of this massive canyon. By this point my attire had shifted some. I'd traded some furs for a hooded poncho in a village not far from where I had left the others to help fend off the cold temperatures that came with nightfall. A thick walking staff made from oak was firmly clasped in my right hand and came up to the top of my shoulder in height.

Out of boredom I had taken to carving random symbols into the staff after I had whittled it down and smoothed it out. There were a few Blackfoot symbols, a vague attempt at a Celtic cross, some random Norse runes that I had rough images of in my head. If anyone saw my current appearance, they'd think I was a random traveler, or a wandering shaman if they saw my new staff.

As much as I loved the view of the canyon, I was more focused on getting to my destination. Unfortunately that meant crossing it, which was absolutely not something I was looking forward to. Eventually I found a way station of some sort located on the canyon edge. There was a small group of people there, so I didn't have to wait around alone for someone to show up.

"Hello, are you waiting for the canyon guide too?" a young woman asked. She was wearing varying shades of browns and greens, with her dark hair tied into a long braid and dangled over her shoulder.

"Is he the only way across?" I asked, looking out over the canyon.

"Unless you want to go a hundred miles out of your way to go around," she replied. Figures.

"Looks like I'm waiting on the guide," I said. Unslinging my pack, I sat it down against a rock and began to shuffle through it. I still had a little money and a pelt or two I could use to barter if the guide decided to charge anything.

"I'm Lily, by the way," the young woman said. I glanced up at her from my pack before returning to my rummaging.

"Merlin," I answered. Why had I chosen this name over using my own? There was a strong chance that I was wanted by the Fire Nation for traveling with the Avatar, or helping with the prison riot back in Pat To. Besides, it was close enough to my actual name so a slip up wouldn't be that far off. Not to mention it was going to be amusing to see how much I could get away with using the old Arthur legends.

"Are you a healer, Merlin?" she asked, eyeing my staff curiously.

"I'm a traveler," I replied as I came up with the possible payment and laid it out across the rock.

"A traveler, eh? Where are you headed on your own, young man?" an older gentleman asked.

"North. Toward Taku," I answered.

"This is my father, Mao," Lily supplied.

"Mao, patron of the Zhong Tribe. If I may, for what reason are you going to Taku? The city has been abandoned for almost a hundred years," Mao said.

"I'm meeting up with some friends there," I answered while eyeing the small group. There couldn't have been more than ten of them, not enough for a clan, much less a tribe.

"There doesn't seem to be very many of you," I noted.

"Our valley was attacked by the Fire Nation. We're all that's left of the Zhongs," Lily said with a hint of sorrow in her voice. I felt my heart sink. These people were refugees, survivors, victims of this war.

"I'm sorry," I said, feeling uncomfortable with the situation. Luckily for me, at that moment a set of boulders shifted, revealing an older man with a rice hat and a large belly.

"Alright, who's ready to cross this here canyon?" the guide called out.

"We are prepared," Mao answered.

"Excellent. Now I only have one rule; no food in the canyon. It attracts dangerous predators," the guide said. Several of the group began to mumble amongst themselves.

"Would you rather go hungry or wind up dead? Now hurry up, we go down in ten minutes," the guide asked, countering and putting to rest any argument that would have come up. I reluctantly ate what little jerky I had left, readying myself for the stretch of hunger that was to come. The others did the same, either eating as much as they could, or discarding what was left when they couldn't eat anymore.

When the ten minute mark finally rolled around, everyone was properly stuffed and ready to go. The way down into the canyon was actually a rather wide path that zig zagged its way back and forth down the cliff side. Occasnally the Guide would stop and clear some boulders from the path, or extend a stone bridge over a gap.

"Many of you may be wondering how this canyon was formed. Experts believe that it was created by Earth Spirits thousands of years ago, when local farmers failed to deliver a proper sacrifice," the guide said. I rolled my eyes at that, but kept my mouth shut. Having sat through the scientific explanation at least three times during school, I'd rather not subject myself to that again.

When we reached the canyon floor, the Guide turned and bent a large rock into the air, arching it upwards and destroying a section of the path in a rather violent landslide and dust cloud.

"Seems counter productive," I noticed as the Guide dusted off his hands.

"These people are fleeing the Fire Nation. Can't have people following, now can we?" the Guide said. That made sense, so I decided to keep my mouth shut. Unfortunately, that was when the monstrosity decided to attack.

This thing, how do I describe it? Giant and black with four legs, a horned head and several red eyes. Like someone decided to splice a spider with some other ungodly creature. It came out of no where, climbing over the uneven terrain with ease. Mao didn't stand a chance as it snapped him up in it's jaws and began to thrash him about like a toy.

Without a second thought, I drew my revolver and fired a shot into it's side. The creature threw Mao to the side as it turned and barred it's jaws at me. I stood my ground, leveling the gun at it's face. It charged me, screeching as it came. The canyon echoed with thunder as I squeezed the trigger again and again, emptying the gun into it's face.

With one last cry, the creature fell onto it's side and slid through the dust. It came to a halt at my feet, it's tounge hanging limply out of it's mouth. I blinked in shock, lowering the gun and returning it to it's holster before prodding the creature with my staff to make sure it was dead. When it didn't rear up and bite my head off, I hurried over to where Mao had landed.

"What the hell was that thing?" I asked the Guide as Lily and I tired to help the man. He was alive, but roughed up pretty badly.

"Canyon crawler. That's the exact reason why I said no food in the canyon," the Guide answered.

"I couldn't let us go hungry," Mao choked out, revealing a small sack he'd hidden on his belt. I opened it, revealing some dried beef. I shook my head and threw the sack as far as I could.

"Are there anymore of those things out there?" I asked.

"They should leave us be, so long as there is no more food," the Guide answered.

"Then we should hurry and get across this thing, in case they decide that we count as food," I said.

* * *

Lucky for us, the group had a healer amongst them who was able to patch Mao up. I get why he had done what he had done, but that didn't make him any less of an idiot. A risk taking idiot, but an idiot all the same. It took us all day to cross the canyon, and the sun was setting by the time we reached the foot of the cliffs on the other side.

Rather than have us climb in the dark, the Guide had us make camp for the night. He pointed out that with Mao's injuries it would simply be too dangerous to undertake the already risky journey to the top in the dark. Reluctantly, we set began to make camp in the last light of the day.

I noticed a few of the group giving me a wide berth as I put together what meager kindling I could find for a fire. All of them were wary of me now, particularly after I had brandished such a weapon. I'd already caught snippets of their conversations amongst themselves during the day. Apparently they thought I was some kind of magic user, able to call upon the thunder to kill my enemies.

My teeth clenched in frustration as my flint and steel failed to ignite the tender again and again. No matter how many times I struck sparks, it just didn't seem to want to ignite. At the end of my wit, I pulled a single bullet from my pack, along with a pair of pliers. With a little effort, I pulled the actual bullet from the brass casing and dumped the gunpowder contained inside on the kindling. A single spark later, and the fire roared to life.

"You really are a magic user," Lily said in awe as I placed some larger branches on the fire encouraging it to grow.

"No, I'm just clever is all," I replied. Silently I was scolding myself. Six bullets to kill the canyon crawler, and one more to get the fire going. Forty two left out of fifty.

"Who are you, really, Merlin?" she asked.

"Just a traveler," I answered.

"Where do you come from?"

"Far away," I said, looking up toward the star filled sky. Maybe Montana was somewhere out there, hidden amongst the stars, thousands of light years away. If that was the case, what was the point in even trying? This was my home now. I should just accept that and move on. It's not like there were other options anyway.

"You lost your home, like we did, didn't you? I can see it in your eyes," Lily said.

"Something like that," I replied.

"Maybe one day you'll see it again," she said, offering hope. I just shook my head with a small, sad smile.

"I don't think it works like that. The situation involving me leaving is…complicated," I said and left it at that. Sensing the end of the conversation, Lily stood and went to check on her father, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I had several questions and no one to answer them. What else could I do besides seeing Spirits? Was I a bender now? Or was I something else? The girl on the Crescent Island had said that I was free to do with this world as I wanted, but did I really want things to change?

I hadn't really tried to do anything in the weeks since the Solstice. Granted I hadn't noticed anything that would suggest anything out of the ordinary, but that didn't mean I shouldn't at least give it a try. If it turned out that I was a bender, that would be very handy in events to come.

Focusing on the fire in front of me, I very slowly curled my fingers and moved my hand about. The flames didn't even so much as pop in response. It was the same with the dust on the ground, or a couple of pebbles I had picked up. Oh well, maybe I wasn't a bender. I'm not going to lie, I was a little disappointed. But it's not like that changed anything. I had my bow, I had my gun, if need be I could make a difference with them.

"You have a lot on your mind," the Guide said as he sat down across the fire from me.

"I'm use to being alone with my thoughts," I replied, casting a glance toward the rest of the group. The Guide followed my gaze before looking back at me.

"People fear what they don't understand. Try not to take it personally," he said.

"I don't. I always preferred to be on my own anyway."

"Is that the way you prefer, or the way others have put it upon you?" he asked. I didn't answer, but rather looked down at my boots. I'd been an outcast my entire life, mostly through my own choice. It's why I was so good at hunting. I preferred the solace the forest offered over the company of others.

"A bit of both, I think. People are…people are complicated. It's easier to just stay away and let them sort their own problems out," I said.

"Easier, maybe. But is it right? Can you stand aside and let things happen, when you have the ability to make a difference?" he asked. I didn't answer, but rather went back to looking at my boots. He left me to my thoughts again. Reaching down, I picked up my staff and looked over the various carved symbols. More than most, I had the ability to make a difference.

But when the time came, would I be able to actually do it, or would I just stand aside?

Before morning came, I took time to sit down with the healer and get a few pointers. She pointed out some plants and showed how to either use them in healing, or special teas that could be made with them. Since I was headed toward Taku, she directed me toward a herbalist institute near the city. Apparently this was where she had been trained, and I could get a much better grasp on the subject if I went there.

With the morning sun came the short trip out of the canyon. I kept watch for any more crawlers, making sure that the monsters this hole in the ground hid stayed away and didn't hurt anyone else. At the top, the Guide collapsed the way behind us again, closing off the Great Divide.

Thanks to the efforts of the healer, Mao was recovering fairly well. He could walk if he leaned on someone, or a stick for support. I made a note that since the healer obviously knew what she was doing, it might not be a bad idea to visit the place after all. With that, I gave the Guide a couple of silver pieces for his trouble, and began to set off.

"Merlin." I paused at the sound of Lily's voice. She looked concerned, standing with her hands clasped around her middle like she was trying to fend off a cold breeze.

"If you want, you can come with us to Ba Sing Se," she offered. I looked past her to the rest of the group. Many of them looked like they were hoping I'd turn the offer down.

"Thank you, but I can't. I wouldn't be welcome among you," I said.

"Nonsense! You saved my father from the canyon crawler, you've been nothing but helpful to us. You'd be welcome," she said.

"Lily," I said, giving her a look. Her face fell and she looked down as she admitted to herself that I was right. I placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look back up at me.

"It's alright. My path is different from yours, so this is where we should part ways. But, who knows? Perhaps we'll see each other again one day," I said. Lily threw an arm around my neck and pulled me into a quick hug.

"Goodbye, and good luck," she said when she pulled back. I gave her a warm smile and a short bow. With that, she turned and went with the rest of her group, heading east. I stood and watched them go for a short while before I turned and headed north.

It was about midday when I stopped to rest at a small stream. I found some apples under a nearby tree. Lucky for me, none of them had gone from ripe to rotten just yet, and I was able to fill my empty stomach.

After refilling my canteen and letting my feet rest, I held out my hand toward the water. I hadn't made an attempt with water down in the canyon the same as the other elements, mainly because I didn't want to waste what was a limited resource. Here, though, I could flail about to my heart's content without anything going to waste. Also I could make myself look like a fool without anyone watching.

Concentrating, I jerked my hand upward once, and then again. Neither time nothing happened. Taking a deep calming breath, I pictured the water rising in my mind as I slowly raised my hand. Not a single drop moved. With a disappointed sigh, I dropped my hand and leaned back. Maybe it wasn't meant to be after all.

Push and pull. That was what Katara was always saying about waterbending. Water was the element that flowed. It pushed and pulled with the waves and the tides. I stood and took a stance again before making a shoving motion with my arms. Rather then just picturing the water moving, I reached out and saw myself actually take hold of the water and begin to move it. I closed my eyes and continued the motion, concentrating on that water moving.

The sound of water splashing caused my eyes to snap open. Before me, the water in the stream was sloshing back and forth, spilling out of it's tiny banks as it went. I stopped, eyes wide with shock, and the water stopped with me. Almost immediately, my face brightened into a wide grin. I couldn't believe it. I'd done it, I'd used waterbending.

"Wait until Katara finds out about this."

 **And cut. Like I said, these were the first major plot shifts, and there's more to come. Just like us, Morgan is only just starting to find out what he's capable of. Please remember to drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. This one's out a little later, but it's out none the less. Let's get on with it, shall we?**

The ruins of Taku were quite the sight to behold. Long ago, this city was the major trade port for the northwestern Earth Kingdom. When the War began, the Fire Nation sacked the city, cutting off all supply routes in the area and causing the local war effort to collapse. Since then, this area has had some of the strongest occupation, and the city itself has remained abandoned.

I had my pick of buildings, and quickly set up a base camp from which to operate. By my count, I still had a few days until the group was suppose to meet up with me. I hoped nothing had gone seriously wrong. The first day was spent exploring the area, getting a layout of the ruins and surrounding mountains, as well as hunting in order to restock on my food supply.

Ever since the Great Divide had wiped out my food, I had been living meal to meal based on what I could hunt or scavenge. Sometimes I ate good with a cat deer or fox antelope, sometimes I went hungry with just a few berries. With my base camp set up, I could now focus more on hunting and restocking rather than just surviving.

I practiced some with my newfound waterbending abilities, but didn't make much progress. Sometimes I could control a large section of a stream, and sometimes I had trouble just getting a drop to float. Katara and Aang made it look easy. Still, if I wanted my new skill to grow, I'd have to practice and develop it, just like I had done with my bow.

On the third day I set out in search of the herbalist place I had been told about. From what I had been told, the institute was located on a mountain within sight of the city ruins. Using my binoculars, I scanned the nearby mountain tops. Finally, I located it on a peak not far to the east and set off.

The place looked like some kind of kung fu place out of a movie. Stairs leading up the mountainside, an archway at the top, the whole nine yards. It also looked a little worn down. Not totally abandoned, but not fully kept up either. My guess was that there was probably only one or two people who still lived here.

In a greenhouse to the back, I found an elderly woman tending to some of the plants. On a table nearby was a long haired white Persian cat, lazily lounging and eyeing over everything as if it was the all high ruler of the world. I cocked my head and eyed the cat curiously. Most of the animals I had come across since I'd gotten here were hybrids of some kind. But this cat wasn't. It was just a normal, everyday housecat. A sight which I was actually quite happy to see.

"Hello?" I called, making my presence known.

"Ah, hello young man. Please, come in," the woman said, gesturing for me to come closer. I walked up to the table and held out my hand. The cat sniffed my palm before batting it's forehead against it.

"What can I do for you today?" the woman asked as she came over to the table, bringing a few large leaves with her.

"I was hoping I could learn some recipes I could use out in the wild," I said.

"Hmm. Do you want to heal or poison?" she asked as she began to mash the leaves up in a small bowl.

"Uh, both, I guess? At the very least I'd like to make a tea and not poison myself," I said.

"I can teach you. Miyuki and I could use the company. But first, what is your name, young man?" she asked as the cat came over and began to rub against her hand.

"Merlin," I answered, choosing to stick to my chosen alias.

"Alright then, Merlin. Let's get started," she said as she scratched her cat behind the ears.

* * *

About a full week went by before I finally saw signs that my friends had arrived. In that time, I had learned as much as I could from the old woman. She insisted that I call her Su, and taught me various remedies that I could use while traveling. A mild poison or two was also thrown into the mix, but only to make someone ill, not flat out kill them.

Su seemed quite happy about having someone to teach, or talk to in general. I got the impression that she got quite lonely, despite the fact that her cat was a constant companion. We both knew that our working together was soon to draw to an end, so we made the most out of our lessons. It was nearing dusk when I saw Appa touch down on the far end of the city ruins.

With nightfall rapidly approaching, I decided to wait until the next day before I made my way toward them. The local landscape could be dangerous enough in the dark by itself without Sokka's paranoia being thrown in to the mix. As the sun began to rise, I packed up my meager camp that had been maintained for the past week and set off in the direction I had seen Appa land.

Storm clouds were boiling in the sky when I finally located their camp. Appa had taken shelter in a large pavilion of some sort. A fire was going, and Sokka and Katara were curled up in their sleeping bags, resting on the flying bison's side. Aang was no where to be found, but his staff was leaning against the wall, indicating that he was around and would probably be back soon.

"Morgan?" Katara asked weakly, raising her head when she saw me. I sat my gear down near the fire and made my way over to her and her brother. Sokka was shivering badly, had snot streaming from his nose, and sweat pouring down his face. Katara was in better shape, but not by much. I could tell by the sheen on her forehead that she had a fever.

"Figures. I take off for a little while and you go and get sick," I said as I knelt down and placed the back of my hand on her forehead. With how badly she was burning up, she defiantly had a fever.

"Water," she said, hoarsely as she weakly raised her had toward me. I pulled my canteen from my belt and held it to her lips for her to drink. She got a good mouthful down before she started coughing.

"Where is Aang?" I asked as I shifted over to Sokka and got some water into him as well.

"Went to find medicine," Katara replied. At that moment, lightning flashed through the sky and thunder rumbled.

"Of course he did," I said. Based on what I had seen, these two had an advanced case of the common flu. I could ease their symptoms, but the sickness would have to run its course. Pulling out a cup and digging through my pack, I came up with a small bottle of ibuprofen. I crushed a couple of the pills before mixing the resulting powder with water.

"Drink this. It won't taste great, but it'll help with the fever," I instructed as I lifted the cup to Katara's lips. She made a face, but otherwise did as she was told. As I took the cup back from her, Momo flew in and placed a crown on top of her head. I just stood there, blinking like an owl at the sight.

"Uh?"

"He's been bringing everything back but water," Katara explained. I glanced between her and the small pile of stuff laying a short distance away before shaking my head. Turning away, I set about refiling the cup for Sokka.

"Who's the wizard, your highness?" he asked his sister as I tried to get him to drink.

"Come on, drink up you delirious idiot."

"No Gran Gran, I don't want to," he said, flailing his arms in an attempt to push me back. I held the cup out so he didn't spill it's contents, while at the same time planting my free hand in the middle of his chest in an effort to keep him in place.

"Sokka, stop it!"

"No, I don't wanna." I growled in frustration before laying my body on top of his, pinning him down. My free hand clamped down on his nose while I forced the cup to his lips and made him drink. With this task done, I released him and stood upright, leaving him to cough.

"There, you overgrown child, was that so hard?" I asked as I wiped the snot on my hand off on him. He didn't answer, but rather went back to his own mutterings. With a roll of my eyes, I went to tend to the small fire. Time passed, and I eventually got board enough to make a small pot of tea. I practiced with my bending again, using it to stir up the mixture in the pot.

I still wasn't quite sure what to make of my newfound abilities. Sure I had ideas about what I could use them for, but at the end of the day my control was still relatively limited. Maybe I could get some advice from Katara when she fully recovered, or Aang when he got back. Control, as with all skills, would come with time and practice.

With the tea done, I began to put together some broth for the siblings to eat. Hopefully this flu of theirs wasn't messing with their stomachs. They were on their own if they threw up all over themselves. As I finished making the broth, I found that Sokka had fallen asleep, while Katara had a thousand yard stare, looking at the ceiling high overhead.

"Hey, you need to eat something," I said, nudging her and offering her a bowl. She slowly sat up and gave me a weak smile as she took the bowl and began to sip on the warm liquid.

"How are you feeling?"

"A little better. What was that you gave us?" she asked. Her voice sounded a little stronger, and she was no longer sweating bullets, so it seemed my little concoction was doing it's job.

"Something to help relieve the symptoms. It's not a cure, but it'll help as your body burns off the flu," I said.

"Is that something you learned in Montana?" she asked before taking another sip of broth. I cast a glance at my pack, where the pill bottle was hidden.

"Yeah, you could say that," I said.

'What's your people like? Tell me about the Montana Tribe," she said. Katara gave me a confused frown when I began to laugh.

"Montana is the name of the place I'm from. The tribe I came from are the Blackfoot," I explained.

"Well, tell me about Montana then, what's it like?" she asked. I sat in silence for a long time, staring into the dancing depths of the fire as I tried to find the right words.

"They call it Big Sky Country. Wide open prairies, snow capped mountains, thick forests full of game, and deep cool rivers filled with fish. It's the kind of place you can go and get lost in and never be found again if you want," I finally said, speaking of my home fondly.

"Sounds beautiful. Maybe we can go visit it, one day," she said. My face fell at her words.

"I…I don't think that's possible."

"Why not? Did the Fire Nation destroy it?" I shook my head, silently finding the idea of the Fire Nation being able to take on my gun crazy home state laughable.

"No. As…as crazy as it sounds, I don't know the way back," I said. Katara's frown of confusion returned, this time with enough force to make her set the bowl aside.

"What do you mean you don't know the way back?

"I mean I don't know where Montana is, alright? My home is out there, somewhere. But I have no idea where it is," I clarified, pointing out toward the dark storm cloud filled sky.

"But, I thought you said it was in the mountains in the east?"

"I don't know."

"How do you not know how to get home?"

"I don't know, okay!?" I said, frustrated as I jumped to my feet, "A place called Big Sky, and I have no idea where it is or how to get back to it." I clenched my fists as I turned away from her, only to unclench them before hunching my shoulders.

"I'm lost. I've been taught how to survive, track, and travel on my own all my life, and I can't do it. I'm on my own," I said, my voice softer now.

"You're not alone. You've got us," she said. I sighed again.

"Yeah, it's just frustrating, you know?"

"Maybe we can help you find your way back. Four pairs of eyes are better than two," she offered as I turned back to her. She had finished the broth and was offering the bowl back.

"Maybe. For right now, you should get some rest," I instructed as I took the bowl from her. Katara laid back down and soon drifted off, leaving me to sit by the fire and wait for something to happen. Nighttime came and went, and it was the gray of dawn when Aang finally came trudging up the stairs to our small camp.

"Suck on these," he said, going up to Sokka and than Katara, giving them something out of his shirt before he shambled his way to Appa's tale, where he collapsed tiredly.

"Aang, how was your trip? Did you make any new friends?" Sokka asked around his new treat.

"No, I don't think I did," he answered before rolling over and going to sleep. The poor kid looked like he'd been steamrolled by a swamp, so I left him alone to rest. As I stoked up the fire a little more, I heard the sucking sound increase from Sokka in particular.

"Mmm, this is tasty," he said. Ten seconds later, both he and Katara had sat up and were spitting out whatever they were sucking on. I watched as a pair of brown frogs hopped away from the siblings.

"Yep, that's Su's handiwork alright," I muttered, unsurprised that my medicine mentor had suggested sucking on frogs as a cure.

* * *

A day or so after the frog incident, we left Taku and continued to head north. Both Katara and Sokka made full recoveries, either thanks to my remedy or Su's bat shit crazy idea of amphibian sucking, I'll never know. When I finally told the others about my newfound waterbending abilities, both Aang and Katara practically went through the roof with excitement. Things were still a little rocky between Sokka and I, so he reacted with some indifference.

Almost instantly, my daily routine shifted. Now I was spending the morning practicing with Katara and Aang, while I spent the afternoon hunting and gathering. All of this was in between the long segments of traveling or sleeping.

It was around this time that the nightmares started. Well, I call them nightmares, but that's only cause I lack a proper way to describe them. They weren't dreams exactly, more like flashes, vivid images of events seemingly unrelated to each other taking place.

I saw flashes of giant metal airships setting huge swaths of land on fire. I saw the banner of the Fire Nation being draped over what was clearly an Earth Kingdom building. But perhaps what was the most disturbing, I saw Aang, bruised and battered, lying motionless in Katara's arms while the young woman wept.

These usually served to jerk me awake in the middle of the night. But rather than wake anyone else, I'd roll over and try to go back to sleep. After all, dreams are just dreams, they don't have any bearing on real life. Looking back now, in hindsight I probably shouldn't have kept them to myself.

About a week after we left Taku, we were camped along the bank of a river. Morning bending practice had finished, and we were packing up camp when Katara pointed out a large green fish that was leaping out of the water. The fish turned it's body so that it was looking at us with a rather smug look on it's face.

"He's taunting us," Sokka said before grabbing his fishing rod. He didn't get very far before he realized that the rod didn't have a line on it. As this was going on, I strung my bow.

"Hey, what happened to the fishing line?"

"Sorry, Sokka, I didn't think you'd need it. I wove this bracelet for Katara," Aang said as he held up a woven bracelet.

"Thanks, Aang," Katara said with a smile as she took it from him.

"Great, maybe instead of saving the world, you can go into making jewelry," Sokka said.

"I don't see why I can't do both," Aang replied, the former's sarcasm going right over his head. Before Sokka could come up with a response, the fish leapt out of the water again, prompting him to yank his knife from his belt and slosh into the river after it. I watched and waited patently with an arrow nocked, knowing that he was going to screw this whole thing up somehow.

"Well, how does it look?" Katara asked as she showed off her new bracelet.

"You mean your wrist, or all of you? Cause both look great," Aang replied, stumbling through his words. I rolled my eyes before I went back to watching Sokka. The kid really was helpless in some situations. To my surprise, Sokka had actually managed to catch the fish and was holding it up.

"Smoochy smoochy, someone's in love," he taunted before making a kissy face at the fish. Said fish managed to slip free of his grasp, make a full spin in mid air, slap him in the face with it's tail, before diving back into the river.

"Stop teasing him, Sokka. Aang's just a good friend, a sweet little guy, just like Momo," Katara said, patting Aang on the side of the cheek. Aang visibly deflated at that.

"Thanks," he said, dismayed, which went unnoticed by Katara.

"For those of us about to die in the friend zone, we salute you," I said muttered under my breath as I searched the water for the fish that Sokka had been after.

"Did you say something, Morgan?" Katara asked.

"Nothing important," I replied as Sokka came slogging out of the river. He sent a glare my way as he shoved his knife back into his belt.

"Thanks for the help," he muttered. I simply cocked my eyebrow at him.

"Would you have rather I shot the fish while you were trying to make out with it, or waited until it bitch slapped you with it's tail?" I asked.

"How about before, when it was jumping around, taunting us?" he countered. I rolled my eyes again.

"Get out of the river, you idiot. You get sick again, I'm shoving this arrow up your ass." A loud noise from down river caught all of our attention, prompting Aang to leap onto a rather large boulder to try and locate the source of the noise.

"Someone's being attacked by a platypus bear!" he yelled, pointing toward the source of the noise. A short distance down the river was a man wearing blue robes being swung at by the living nightmare that is a platypus bear. Out of all the creatures that exist in this new world, this one has to be one of the most unfortunate looking, and terrifying enough to induce piss running down your leg.

"Hello there, lovely day isn't it?" the man asked as if nothing was wrong, despite the fact that he had just narrowly ducked his head being taken off by a paw swipe.

"Make nose, it'll run away!" Aang yelled.

"No, play dead, he'll loose interest," Sokka countered.

"Run down hill and climb a tree," Katara added. As the man just barely dodged another swipe, I stepped forward and readied my bow. Pressing my lips together, I let loose a high pitched whistle. The hybrid turned toward me, investigating the source of the noise. Finding a new target, the bear reared up on it's hind legs and roared.

I didn't waste a moment, firing the arrow straight into the bear's mouth and right out the back. The bear made a choking nose as it reared back in pain and surprise. I didn't give it a chance to recover, as two more arrows quickly found their mark in the back of the bear's mouth. The bear's eyes rolled back into it's head before it collapsed fully onto its side. It's body gave one last shutter before an egg popped out of it's rear.

"Or…that works too, I guess," Katara said. Sokka wasted no time in collecting the egg and muttering about having found lunch. I rolled my eyes before drawing my knife and setting about skinning and harvesting what I could from the dead bear hybrid.

"Lucky for you we came along," Sokka said, turning to the man.

"What's this 'we' crap?" I asked as I yanked an arrow free from the bear, "I'm the one who killed the damn thing."

"Thank you, but everything was under control. Not to worry. Aunt Wu predicted I would have a safe journey," the man said.

"Aunt who?" Aang asked.

"No, Aunt Wu," the man corrected, "she's the fortuneteller from my village. Awful nice to know your future."

"That explains why you were so calm," Katara said in realization.

"But you didn't have a safe trip, you were almost killed!" Sokka pointed out.

"But I wasn't, have a good one! Oh, and Aunt Wu said if I met any travelers to give them this," the man said before handing Aang a package and heading off.

"Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and learn our fortunes, it could be fun," Katara said.

"Oh come on, fortune telling is nonsense," Sokka said as Aang began to unwrap the package he had been held. He held it up and opened it, revealing an umbrella.

"What do you know, an umbrella." At that moment, it broke off and started to rain. Katara bent an arch of water over her head, while Sokka held the egg up and tried to hide under it. I growled in frustration as I yanked the last of my arrows free and began to finish up on my harvest. Raising my hand, I also created a shield for myself.

"Well, that proves it," Katara said.

"No it doesn't! You can't really predict the future!"

"I guess you're not really getting getting wet then," she replied smugly. I kept quiet as they conversed back and forth. I remembered this episode, not in it's entirety, but enough to recount the important details. In the next village there was a volcano that was going to erupt, and it'd be up to Aang and the others to insure it's survival.

"I say we go see this fortuneteller," I said, speaking up.

"Oh, Morgan not you too," Sokka said in defeat.

"What? We go, and if turns out to be nothing then your point will be proven. Either way, none of us stands to lose from it," I said. At that moment the egg slipped out of Sokka's grasp, flew into the air, before landing on his head and shattering. Yoke ran down his face, causing him to frown even harder then he had been before.

"Also we can get something legit to eat," I added.

* * *

The village we came to rested at the foot of a large snow capped mountain. It was a fairly normal village, nothing that really set it apart from any other one we had passed through so far. I gazed up at the mountain with a sense of distain. It was a ticking time bomb, and no one knew about it.

"Morgan, are you alright?" Katara asked.

"Yeah, just…a really bad feeling is all," I answered without taking my eyes off of the mountain. We came to a large building with a round door being overlooked by a single man standing outside.

"Aunt Wu has been expecting you," he said.

"Really?" Katara asked.

"You say that to everyone, don't you?" I asked as we walked in. He didn't answer, but rather gave a smile in response. Inside, we were greeted by a young girl in a pink robe with a ridiculous set of pigtails that stuck out of the sides of her head.

"I'm Meng, I'm Aunt Wu's assistant," she introduced herself. I set my pack down in a corner before plopping down next to it. Pulling my knife from my belt, I began to scrape the dirt from under my fingernails in boredom. I wasn't here for a palm reading, I was here to save a village from volcanic disaster.

When I finished picking at my fingers, I returned the knife to my belt before standing and heading off to look for a bathroom. Sokka was fighting Momo over a bowl of snacks, while Aang and Katara were nowhere to be found. I shrugged, and continued my search. In the back, I found Aang leaning near a screen, clearly eavesdropping on a conversation being held on the other side.

"Having fun?" I whispered. He jumped about a foot in the air.

"Just coming back from the bathroom," he said quickly.

"Which is where?"

"That way," he replied, motioning in the general direction behind him before heading back out to join Sokka. I rolled my eyes and started in the direction he had pointed, but paused when I heard Katara speak.

"So do you see anything interesting in my love line?" she asked.

"I see a great romance, the man you are going to marry," a woman, I'm guessing Wu replied.

"Tell me more."

"I can see he is a powerful bender, and he has traveled far. A simple man, a man of the wild," came the response. I shrugged before continuing my search for a bathroom. I would have said good on Katara, if I believed in fortunes. Speaking of fortunes, mine was finally looking up as I found a bathroom, did my business, and made my way back to the others.

"Who's next?" Wu asked. When I finally got a good look at the woman, my heart nearly stopped dead. She looked like someone you would look up to for advice, like a grandmother or an aunt. But I didn't just recognize her from the show, I knew her from my personal life. As she turned to see me, her own eyes grew large as well in shock and recognition.

"How about you, young man," she said, not letting her shock being displayed by the rest of her body. Although it was subtle, the tone of her voice made it clear she was telling, not suggesting.

"Sure, I'll go," I said. She led me back into the room I had passed by and closed the paper door behind us. As she turned back to face me, there were a series of emotions on her face.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, young man," she said with seriousness in her voice.

"Me, what about you? Huh?" I shot back. She placed her hands on her hips and gave me a stern look.

"Jacob Morgan Wood, I will have none of the back sass," she said. For the first time since I had set foot in this village, I actually smiled.

"It's good to see you too, Grandma Wendy."

 **And cut. New developments, don't you just love cliffhangers. Drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you liked or didn't like about this chapter, and I'll see you all next time.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, I'm back with a somewhat late chapter. It's a shorter chapter, but it's a chapter none the less. So, let's get on with it.**

Grandma looked pretty good, considering that the last time I had seen her she was lying in a casket ten years ago. A semi had plowed through a red light and t boned her car, she never stood a chance. She looked like she had settled in fairly well all things considered, and looked every bit the part of a fortuneteller. I glanced about the room, expecting to find a crystal ball or some tarot cards laying around.

"What are you doing here, Jake?" she asked, having lowered her voice some incase we had eavesdroppers.

"I could ask the same thing," I replied. She looked like she had a lot that she wanted to say, but just couldn't seem to choose what she wanted to say.

"How long have you been here?" she finally asked.

"About two months now," I answered.

"How…how did you…"

"Die?" I finished for her. She gave me a look.

"I wasn't going to put it quite that blunt, but yes."

"Camping trip gone wrong, I went over a waterfall in the Park," I answered.

"And what were you doing in the Park by yourself?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Camping? The thing I've been doing for the past three years?" I replied. A frown graced her lips.

"I sense your father's involvement in this," she said. I formed a frown of my own. Although I had been too young to see it, both of my parents and my Grandfather had repeatedly stated that my Grandmother had never approved of my father.

"I went camping of my own free will, Grandma, Dad didn't have anything to do with it," I said. It wasn't the entire truth, but I didn't blame my father for getting me into this and I wasn't about to have her do so either. A new look crossed her face, like she was hearing a song that she liked but hadn't heard in years.

"You sound so much like your grandfather. How is he?" she asked. I reached into my shirt and pulled out the metals that hung around my neck.

"He passed away in his sleep about four years ago. Is he not here?" I asked. A look of sadness came over her face at my news.

"If he is, I have not found him in all this time. In any case I doubt he would be anyway. He died peacefully. It is likely he is somewhere else."

"So what, is this the dumping ground of souls who die before their time?" I asked, making vague gestures to the walls around us.

"Have a seat, Jake," Grandma said, pointing to one of the large pillows that was around a large fire. Her tone made it clear that it wasn't a suggestion, so I did what I was told.

"I don't know much of anything, but what I do know is that we have a purpose in this new world. Look at me; when I first arrived here, I was doing fortunetelling as a hobby at the county fair, something to entertain children. But here, I found that it actually had merit, that I could actually use the gift. Tell me, Jake, what is that you've been doing since you got here?" she asked as she took a seat opposite of me.

"I've been traveling with the Avatar," I answered. She put her finger to her chin as she seemed to ponder something. Then, she gestured to a large bowl filled with bones sitting next to us.

"Pick a bone and throw it onto the fire," she instructed. I gave her a look, making it clear that I wasn't a believer in fortunes.

"Humor your Grandmother," she said patiently. I did as she asked, picking a large bone and tossing it into the flames.

"So what happens now?" I asked.

"Most of my tricks are just that, tricks. But the bones and other truly ancient stuff have power here. They're the most accurate in predictions," she explained as several cracks began to appear in the bone. We watched as the bone cracked so badly that it straight up split in two. One of the ends had a flame spring up on it, which quickly died as it turned black.

I looked back and forth between her and the bone, watching her expression. Her lips were thin lines as she watched the bone. She didn't overly happy at what she was seeing, that much was clear. But what exactly was wrong was beyond me.

"Your being here has upset the flow if this world. Events that were once set in stone to occur are being rewritten," she said.

"You sound like a character out of a time travel story," I said. She gave me a harsh glare, which shut me up instantly.

"This is no laughing matter, Jacob. Remember, the gift is real in this new world," she chastised.

"What do you see, exactly?" I asked cautiously, not wanting to invoke her wrath again. My grandmother's face turned grim, almost forlorn as she looked back to the flames.

"You will be apart of many battles, at the center of the struggle for the very soul of the world. It balances on a knife's edge, easily going in either direction based upon your choices. Beware, my grandson, actions that you take even now will lead to the loss of someone close to you," she said. I felt a little depressed at that, even if I still wasn't fully convinced on this whole fortune thing.

"Got any good news in there?" I asked. Grandma looked back into the flames, her fingers on her chin as she pondered what she was looking at.

"There is something. I see a love life in your future, a young woman with passion who has traveled from a far away land. But, you cannot stand by when the time comes, or else your chance will be missed forever," she said.

"Could you have been any more vague?" I asked, earning a look from her.

"You continue to not believe," she said.

"I haven't seen any reason to believe yet, just a cracked and burnt bone," I answered. She looked from me back to the flames.

"My hope is that this prediction does not come true for you. Otherwise, you have been doomed to live a life of war," she said. I let out a short sigh.

"I control my own fate, not some left over piece of overcooked fried chicken. Now I came to this village for a reason, and it's time I did what I came here for. Your volcano is about to blow it's top," I said. Grandma looked at me with a frown.

"And how do you know this?"

"You're not the only one with the gift," I deadpanned. She gave me another look.

"The truth, young man."

"This world, this place, it was TV show I watched when I was growing up. I watched all of this happen, I know what's going to happen," I explained.

"Now who's the one who requires belief without proof?" she asked.

"We're both in an afterlife where people can do this," I said, bending a blob of water from a nearby pitcher, "is what I'm saying really so hard to believe?" She still looked like she needed convincing. Imagine my surprise.

"Look, I'll go up the mountain and check it myself to prove it, how does that sound?" I continued. She was quiet for a long time after that.

"Be careful. I've only just got you back. I don't want to lose anyone again."

* * *

So yeah, one thing that hasn't changed since I got to this new world is the fact that hiking up a mountain sucks major ass. Why was I hiking and instead of riding on Appa you might ask? Cause Aang wanted to come along and make it an adventure. Sokka was along too, mainly cause Aang insisted that he come as well.

The young Air Nomad was after some kind of flower that apparently only grew near the crater of the volcano. Which actually brought a different question to my mind. If that was the only place you could get this flower, and apparently Aang had seen a guy in the village give one to his girlfriend, how was it that no one had seen the signs that the mountain was about to blow it's top? Maybe I'd get lucky and the course of events had shifted to where the volcano wasn't about to erupt.

Grandma Wendy had given the village it's annual cloud reading and had predicted, among other things, that the village would go another year without being destroyed by the volcano. I caught her choice of wording, even though everyone else seemed to have not. Just because she said that the village wouldn't be destroyed didn't mean that the mountain wouldn't erupt.

"I can't believe you two are dragging me all the way up here for a stupid flower," Sokka said as he climbed over a large boulder. We were close to the rim, and the ground was incredibly uneven up here. Aang was just leaping from rock to rock, pausing only long enough for Sokka and I to catch up before moving on.

"HE'S the one looking for the flower, I'M not trusting my life to a cloud reading and checking to make sure this thing isn't waiting to blow it's top," I stressed.

"Not just any flower, a panda lily. I've seen it in action and boy does it work," Aang said.

"Flowers are fine once you're married, but at this early stage it's critical that you maintain maximum aloofness," Sokka said as he scaled another bolder. I shot the Water Tribe warrior a confused look.

"Wasn't the only female in your village even remotely close to your age range your sister?" I asked.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Just curious as to how exactly that qualifies you to give out romantic advice is all," I said.

"Oh, and you'd be much better for the job?" Sokka asked. I gave a shrug.

"Well, I have actually kissed a girl who wasn't related to me in any way, shape, or form, so there's one credential I have over you," I said.

"Hey, that doesn't…"

"Look, Aang, you wanna win Katara over? The key is going to be patience, a bit of hope, and a dash of luck," I said, interrupting Sokka.

"What do you mean Katara? He likes that pig tailed girl who works for Aunt Wu," Sokka said, earning a deadpanned look from me and a confused look from Aang.

"Please, the kid got friendzoned so hard this morning his grandkids are gonna feel it," I said, gesturing towards Aang.

"Friendzoned? What does that mean?" Sokka asked.

"When one person tries to make a relationship romantic, but the other insists on keeping it as a friendship, that's called getting friendzoned," I explained.

"Patience, hope, and luck?" Aang asked, pausing on a boulder and looking down at me with a cocked eyebrow.

"The first one is going to be the major one cause frankly it's going to take a while. But the other two are going to be necessary as well," I answered.

"And you would know this, how?" Sokka asked. I answered with a shrug.

"I've had it done to me once or twice. Only had one where I managed to get out of it," I said.

"What happened?" Aang asked. I paused and sat on a boulder, looking out over the valley as I caught my breath.

"There was a girl in my school. Pretty, black hair, coldest blue eyes you've ever seen. She was about a year older than me, but I decided to try my luck with her anyway. First time around she rejected me outright, but I managed to get back into her good graces. We became friends and I actually got to know her. Then the winter dance came up, and I asked her to go with me. Again, rejected cause we were good friends. But I waited, bid my time, and eventually it got to the point that she didn't have a date to the dance. I asked her again, offering to take her as a friend, and she agreed. I took her out to the dance, showed her a good time, and I wound up dating her for three months after that," I said.

"That doesn't quite sound like my situation," Aang noted.

"My point is that anything can happen, Aang, just stick to your guns and you'll be fine," I finished.

"Well, my heart is telling me to get this flower," he said as he looked up toward the rim of the crater, "and Aunt Wu said if I trusted my heart, I would be with the one I love."

"What? Don't tell me you believe in that stuff too," Sokka said.

"She hasn't been wrong yet. Why should she be wrong about love?" Aang asked. I rolled my eyes but kept my mouth shut. Neither one of them knew the half of it. We got to the top, only to find the crater filled with a lake of boiling lava.

"Aunt Wu was wrong," Aang said, letting a flower he had picked fall into the molten rock below.

"Technically she said the village wouldn't be destroyed, she never said anything about an eruption," I pointed out.

"Are you seriously splitting hairs right now? Those people all think they're safe, we've got to warn them!" Sokka said, pointing back down the mountain toward the village.

"There's no time to walk!" Aang said as he whipped out his glider. Both Sokka and I held on for dear life as we flew back down the mountain. I don't mind flying on Appa, but gliding isn't something I didn't care for in the slightest.

We landed back in front of Grandma's place hard, taking out a small cart in the process, well Sokka and I did anyway, Aang landed as gracefully as ever. Katara was standing outside of the front door with her hands on her hips, glaring at said door.

"Can you believe she won't let me back in? After all the business I've given her?" Katara asked in an annoyed tone.

"She doesn't charge," Aang pointed out.

"I know, but still."

"We have bigger problems, Aunt Wu was wrong about the volcano," Sokka said. She turned toward her brother with an annoyed look.

"Sokka, you've tried to convince me she was wrong before, it's going to take a lot more…" she was silenced as the ground shook and an explosion echoed down the valley. From the top of the mountain came a huge plumb of black smoke.

"How 'bout that?" I asked, pointing up at it. I didn't wait for a response as I pushed past her and went into the building myself, closing the door behind me so Katara could follow. If I knew my Grandmother, the only reason she had shut her out was because the young woman had kept pestering her.

I found her in the main sitting room, looking over my walking staff. The rest of my gear seemed untouched from when I had set off up the mountain.

"I have heard rumors, stories of a young man who calls himself Merlin, who has the ability to call down thunder on his enemies. I should have known it was you the moment I laid eyes on you," she said before tossing me the staff. I caught it with ease, carefully studying her to get a read on this. She was smiling and seemed proud almost.

"Did you hear your mountain start to blow it's top just now?" I asked.

"I did."

"Is that enough conformation for you or should I have snapped a photo?" I asked.

"You get that sarcastic streak from your father's side," she said, annoyed. I cocked my eyebrow at her, silently asking if this was really the time for any of that.

"The people of the village won't be easily convinced. It'll have to look like an actual reading rather than me just coming out and saying so," she continued.

"And how would I be able to do that?" I asked. With that, she smiled before handing me a book.

"You're going to need this. Between you and your friends being benders, I'm sure you can find something that will convince the village to act," she said. I opened the tome out of curiosity to find several different pictures and sketches of clouds, along with descriptions written next to them that I couldn't read.

"The cloud book?" I asked, looking back at her.

"You'd better hurry, time is short," she answered. The next couple of hours were a blur of activity. It started when Aang and Katara flew high above the village on Appa and used water and airbending to control the clouds, reworking them into a new shape. They chose the cloud that represented impending volcanic doom, which, of course, resembled a human skull.

Sokka and Grandma even put on a show for the villagers, making a scene about the new cloud that had formed in the sky. With them convinced, they fell into line, following Sokka's orders on setting up some hastily constructed means of saving the village. A trench was dug around the outskirts facing the mountain, the dirt from which was used for form a wall between the trench and the buildings.

They had just barely managed to finish connecting to the trench to a nearby river when the mountain fully erupted. The people of the village evacuated, leaving the four of us to face down one of the most powerful forces of nature alone. Above us the sky turned gray as ash bellowed from the mountain. Then came the lava, flowing down the mountainside and pouring into the trench. It took all of about a minute for said trench to fill to the rim and threaten to pour over wall.

"It's too much, it's going to overflow," Katara said. At that moment a violent explosion rocked the volcano's peak. All around us, fireballs began to rain down.

"Time to go people!" I yelled over the noise. With that, Sokka, Katara, and I turned to flee. Only Aang remained, standing his ground against the oncoming wrath of nature. A lava bomb landed in the flow directly before him, sending a wave of molten rock skyward. Aang charged forward before leaping into the air. Using his airbending, he sent a full on blast of wind against the wall of fire. The lava wave cooled and hardened into a large wall, several feet taller than the wall the villagers had made.

By this point, I had stopped running and was watching the kid work. For the first time, I saw him not as a goofy brat, but as what the Avatar was suppose to be. A being of power unrivaled by anything I had ever seen.

"Man, sometimes I forget what a powerful bender that kid is," Sokka said. Both of them had stopped running as well, and were watching alongside me. Aang was still up on his perch, watching to see if at any point the lava would break through again.

"Wait, what did you say?" Katara asked. I cast a glance at her, remembering the prediction my grandmother had given her.

"Nothing, just that Aang is one powerful bender," Sokka answered with a shrug. Katara looked from her brother back up to Aang with a new sense dawning on her.

"I guess he is…" I left the siblings and walked up next to Aang.

"This is just the start, you know," I said. He looked toward me, having not heard me walk up beside him.

"What?"

"If you can do this," I said, motioning toward the wall, "the Fire Lord doesn't stand a chance. We're going to win, Aang." The young man gave me a hopeful smile.

"Thanks, Morgan," he said. The volcano continued to erupt for the better course of the day, but it didn't threaten the village again. We waited, ready to put out any fires or plug up any leaks should they spring up. Thankfully none did, and when the eruption finally ended a short time later, the people were able to come back.

Grandma made a big show about thanking us for saving the village in the public square, which we just kind of shrugged off. Before we left, I found myself in her building one last time. This time, she was dusting in her little chamber.

"I already know the answer to this, but I'm going to ask anyway. Will you stay?" she asked. I shook my head and gave her a sheepish look.

"Aang and the others need me," I answered.

"I thought as much. Be careful out there, Jacob. This world is wide, and dangerous, but it's also full of things which are beyond your wildest dreams. Make the most of it," she said with a smile. I returned the smile and pulled her into a hug. When we parted, I picked up my stuff and headed toward the door.

"Oh, and Morgan," she called, causing me to look back at her, "if you find your grandfather out there. Tell him I'm here, and that I'm waiting."

"I will," I promised before stepping out the door for the last time.

 **And cut. Remember to drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you guys liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. Let's get into it, shall we?**

We were a few days up the coast from Makapu Village when I got the sense that we were being followed. Between the hair standing on the back of my neck and the constant shiver I got down my spine, I just knew that we were being tracked. But after the whole fiasco with Sokka and his instinct, I kept my mouth shut. Last thing I needed was Sokka lording it over me because the roles were now reversed. So I started planning.

When we next stopped for longer then a period of eating or rest, I would slip away, circle back, and find out who had been tailing us. The others were use to me up and vanishing for a while to go hunting, so they wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Providing whomever was following us didn't slit our throats in the night before then.

I got my chance the following day, when Aang and Sokka stumbled across signs of a skirmish between Fire Nation troops and Water Tribe warriors. Sokka tracked the fight down the hillside to the sea side, where they found a beached ship from the fleet Sokka and Katara's dad had sailed with. A general vote was passed that we stake out the boat for a while in order to see if it was truly abandoned.

Rather then head out right away, I stuck around until the sun had gone down. In truth, I was somewhat curious to see if anyone else would show up, it would be interesting to meet other members of Sokka and Katara's tribe.

Both Aang and Katara had drifted off for the night, while Sokka and I stayed up around the campfire. A cool breeze blew, bringing in a winter chill and causing us to scoot a little closer to the flames for warmth. Sokka was poking the flames with a stick, and I was whittling on a stick I had found. Neither one of us had really spoken much to each other since I had split off and come back. Maybe it was time to fix that.

"We didn't have boats," I said, breaking the ice. Sokka looked up from his poking and gave me a look.

"Huh?"

"My tribe. We were a people of the plains, lived in tents and chased herds for survival. We didn't have boats," I said.

"Ah." I stared into the flames, convinced that the conversation was pretty much over and we'd stay exactly where we had been before.

"Tell me more about your tribe," Sokka said, speaking up. My posture didn't really change as we spoke.

"There's not much left to tell. It use to be we were great in number. But eventually the buffalo herds we hunted were taken to near extinction, and we were forced onto reservations. Our way of life came to an end, and we were nearly wiped out as a result," I said.

"Sounds similar to what happened to our tribe," Sokka said and I shrugged.

"War, famine, plague, I guess it all added up in the end." We drifted off into silence again. The more time passed, the more I began to feel that I was wasting my time. Neither one of us were really talkers, and we were getting no where fast. The sound of a twig snapping caught both of our attention, and in a flash we were at the ready, Sokka with his club and me with my bow.

"Who's there?" Sokka called out. A heavily bandaged man wearing Water Tribe apparel appeared on the edge of the fire's light.

"Sokka?"

"Bato?!"

"Ba who now?" Aang asked, having been woken by Sokka's outburst. Realizing that this guy wasn't a threat, I lowered my bow. Bato, as it turns out, was almost an uncle to Sokka and Katara, and their father's second in command. He'd been badly burned during the ambush we had found signs of, and had been left of the care of a nearby abbey in order to recover. Once he was healed enough, he planned to rejoin his comrades in their fight against the Fire Nation.

Problems started almost as soon as we got to the abbey where Bato was staying. In their homesickness, the siblings began to act as if Aang and I weren't even there. They told stories of home, without giving us any context or really even trying to involve us. Aang to his credit tried, but was shot down again and again, or just flat out ignored and interrupted. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. They were a long way from home, after all, and they were allowed to revel in the feeling being around Bato gave them. That being said, the longer they ignored us, the more annoyed I got.

"Try not to take it too personally," I said to Aang after pulling him to the side, "they haven't seen him or their dad in a long time."

"I know," he said, rubbing the back of his head guilty. I patted him on the shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"Just try not to go overboard with this, okay? You have a habit of letting stuff get to you," I said. We stayed at the abbey through the night, and by the time morning came, it was clear that neither of the siblings were ready to leave yet.

Seeing my chance, I told the others I was headed out to restock on our supply of meat before heading off on my own. It'd be a cold day in Hell before I ate another stewed sea prune. The first thing I did was I passed back through the battlefield and eyed the weapons that had been left scattered about. Most of them were either broken or close to it, hence why Sokka in particular had left them behind. But there was one a short distance away from the others that caught my eye.

It was a short, simple tomahawk. Metal head with a simple wooden handle, imbedded in the trunk of a tree about a dozen yards away from the edge of the battlefield. Someone had thrown this and missed their intended target, but had never come back to reclaim the weapon. I held it in my hand and gave a few practice swings, even taking a chop or two out of the tree I had found it in. Satisfied with the weight and feel of it in my hand, I slipped it into my belt and set off again.

Now before you go making assumptions, the most experience I had with a weapon like this was throwing a hatchet into a target. Most of the time I only hit the target with the wrong side of the weapon, so it's not like I was going to be bashing any heads in anytime soon. That being said, it made a great utility tool and would certainly come in handy around the campfire.

I had my bow at the ready as I headed deeper into the brush. Either I was going to find who or what had been following us, or I was going to find our next meal. Coming back empty handed was not an option.

Suddenly, the underbrush exploded with a flurry of movement. I reeled back in surprise and found myself face to face with a large, four legged monstrosity. It had shaggy brown and black fur with a pink star nose like that of a mole. Saliva dripped from it's teeth as it looked directly at me and let out several snarls and growls.

"No where to run, kid," a voice said. I looked up to find a long black haired woman sitting atop the creature. She was looking down at me with a small sadistic grin. Before I could react, the creature snapped it's tounge at me like a whip. I felt it make contact with the side of my neck, and in the next instant all feeling in my body was gone. I went limp and hit the ground, my bow landing in the dirt next to my hands.

"What…?" I asked, surprised by the sudden turn of events.

"Don't fight the venom, kid. It'll make it easier for everyone," my attacker said. As she talked, everything became more and more dull and far away. Before I knew it, I had blacked out entirely.

I came to as I was dropped unceremoniously on something metal. An involuntary grunt of pain was forced out of me as I slowly opened my eyes and looked around me. Standing above me was the woman, as well as Zuko and Iroh. The Prince was holding one of my arrows in his grasp, as well as a rather large coin sack. I realized that I was on the deck of his ship, which was docked in some small port.

Glancing down at myself, I took a quick inventory of what gear I still had. My knife, bow, quiver, and tomahawk had all been taken. To my utterly pleasant surprise, however, my revolver was still strapped to my hip. Of course, they probably didn't realize that it was a weapon, and had left it behind like my canteen and other things that weren't weapons.

"There weren't any others. He was alone in the woods," the woman said.

"He must have been out hunting, so the others couldn't have been far," Zuko said.

"Why don't you ask him yourself, Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked. The old man had noticed that I was awake apparently. The other two turned toward me, and I gulped. Last time I had seen Zuko, I had cracked him a couple of times in the face with the butt of my hunting knife in order to knock him out.

"Sleep good?" Zuko asked, although his tone made it clear he didn't really care if I had or not. I tried to sit up, but found that most of my body still unresponsive.

"Ouch," I muttered as I leaned my head up slightly. Everything from the neck up seemed to be working, so I had that going for me.

"So this is the archer that's been traveling with the Avatar. You're not much, now that I've gotten a good look at you," he said.

"How's your face, Prince?" I asked, "still sore?" The one eyebrow he had left twitched, but otherwise he kept his composure.

"I'm only going to ask once, where is the Avatar?"

"Didn't you try that with Katara already? Yeah, I'm pretty sure you tried that already. I believe the paraphrased version of what she said is 'get bent'," I answered. The Prince growled and bared his teeth.

"Let's see how well you handle being thrown overboard while still paralyzed like that," he said as he started toward me. A hand on his shoulder from Iroh stopped him from doing anything else.

"No, Prince Zuko. We don't know anything about this young man. It would be much wiser to keep him around," he said. Zuko let out a frustrated sigh, but nodded in agreement with his uncle.

"Maybe the kid has something on him that has one of his friend's scents," the woman suggested. I couldn't help but grin a little to myself. The others in the group never touched anything of mine. They were going to be hard pressed to find anything that wasn't all me. It started off with the obvious stuff; my bow, my arrows, even my grandfather's metals. Each time, the creature would sniff before turning toward me and growling. During all this, I was slowly getting feeling back into my limbs, but it wasn't quick enough.

"Hm, what about this, June?" Iroh asked as he plucked my canteen from my belt. At the sight of him holding the object up, I felt my blood run cold. None of my gear was ever touched by the others, but thanks to my daily waterbending practice, my canteen was handled by Katara almost as much as it was by me.

The woman, June, took the canteen and held it up to her pet mole monster. It sniffed the silver metal container before turning it's head in a different direction, it's nostrils flaring rapidly. June gave that sadistic grin of hers.

"There's another scent," she reported before hopping onto the creature's back. It reared up before it took off at a run, jumping from the deck to the dock with a single, easy bound.

"Hey, wait for us!" Zuko yelled after her.

* * *

You know, for being such a hothead and having a remarkably short temper, Zuko is no where near dumb. Despite the venom having not worn off yet, he still remembered to tie me up so that when I did finally gain all of my functions back, there was no where to go. Still, I am a hunter, and if a hunter is anything, we're patient.

I also had the element of surprise on my side. None of my captors were aware of the fact that I was a bender, and I had been practicing with Katara in using our bending in order to get out of being restrained for situations exactly like this one. All I needed was for my chance to present itself, although I got the feeling I'd have to act sooner rather then later. Iroh had stayed behind at port, and without him to step in, there was nothing stopping Zuko from killing me if I annoyed him too much.

Despite being a lumber some creature, the kimono rhino Zuko had chosen to ride was actually quite fast, able to at least keep up with the mole thingy that June was riding. That didn't make it any more comfortable for me, as I was tied up and draped over the beast's flank like a rolled up blanket. My bow and my gear was stuffed in a sack, which hung just in front of me. In fact, every other step that was taken caused the body of the bow to tap me on the forehead. It got annoying after hour two of this.

As we got closer and closer to the group, I had an epiphany. I could change the events of the show. What if I convinced Zuko to give up his chase this early? How would that effect things, and more importantly, how much grief and heartache could be avoided?

"You don't have to do this, you know," I said, finally breaking my near silence of the past several hours.

"You don't know me, you have no idea what I have to do," he replied in his usual grumpy tone.

"Really? I know more than you think, Zuko, son of Ursa and Ozai," I said. My knowledge of character backgrounds had returned some with some practice and meditation. It wasn't exactly worthy of a wiki page, put it was hopefully enough to get by. Or in this case, be effective.

"That's common knowledge to anyone with half an understanding of the Fire Nation," he dismissed. He wasn't wrong. Back home, everyone knew the names of the President and the First Lady, why should it be any different here?

"Maybe. But what about that scar? Is that public knowledge too, or are your crew just a little more ignorant than usual?" I asked. I felt Zuko stiffen at that.

"Silence."

"Something I don't get about you is that you have an entire ship and crew. You can sail anywhere you want and set up shop, but you don't. Why go back to all the chaos that comes with running a country when you can just as easily make a very comfortable life out here with the rest of the world?"

"Shut up."

"Speaking of, you've got this whole honor thing wrong. It's not something your father can just bestow upon you or take away on a whim, it's something you've got to give yourself," I continued.

"I said shut up."

"And don't even get me started on Ozai. Look, I get it, okay? I do. You're a kid wanting daddy's love. Well, I got bad news for you. He has no love for you, and you're never going to earn it. You want proof I'm right? All you got to do is look in the damn mirror." The rhino came to a sudden halt as Zuko yanked on the reins and threw me from the saddle. I landed with a grunt of pain, feeling the impact run through my shoulder. Looking up, I saw the Prince's golden eyes aglow with rage.

"Filthy Water Tribe peasant, you speak of things of which you know nothing about," he growled, pointing down at me. I sat up with my hands still tied behind my back, returning his glare as good as he gave.

"First off, I'm not from the Water Tribe. And second, you're just pissed because you know, deep down in that thick skull of yours, you know that I. Am. Right," I said. Zuko let out a yell of frustration and thrust out his fist. A bolt of fire erupted from his hand, and I rolled, narrowly avoiding the flames. He fired again and again, forcing me to continue the roll. That is, until I found myself in a puddle. A smile covered my face, and I moved my hands behind my back.

Water raced up and covered the rope before freezing solid. With a little persuasion from me, both it and the rope shattered into a billion pieces, freeing my hands. I was up on my feet in a flash, bending the water up to block another ball of fire. Zuko's good eye went wide with surprise, and I used that to my advantage.

I threw a small stream of water at him, forcing him to lean in order to dodge it. Before he could sit up fully again, I jumped and tackled him in a full on bear hug. The sudden added weight was too much for the armored Prince to maintain his balance, and we both toppled from the saddle and into the dirt.

"Don't you get it?!" I yelled as we wrestled for control, "everyone else EXPECTS something from you! I'm offering you a CHOICE! A chance to do what YOU want!" His response was to unleash a blast of fire from his mouth, which caught my upper left arm. I yelled in pain before punching him with my right fist as hard as I could.

Zuko's head reeled back from the strike, and I took the opportunity to separate us. I ran over and grabbed the sack with my gear before sprinting off into the undergrowth that surrounded the road. My right hand gripped the burn as I ran, ignoring both the pain and the yells of frustration and anger that followed me.

I'm not sure how far I ran, but I nearly collapsed face down in a small stream when I finally allowed myself to stop. With as angry as Zuko was, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had tried to set the forest on fire in an effort to smoke me out, or out of blind rage in general. I had underestimated his temper, and his stubbornness, and had literally gotten burned out of it. That wasn't a mistake I'd make twice.

After drinking some from the stream in order to sooth my burning throat, I dipped my right hand into the water and concentrated on it remaining around it. With that, I lifted it back out and held it up to get a better look at it. I was wearing a glove made out of water. Satisfied with my work so far, I placed the water covered hand on the burn in an effort to relieve some of the pain.

The burn was an angry red color and was already starting to blister, a sure fire sign that things weren't good. Much to my pleasant surprise, I watched as a bight blue glow came from the water around the wound. I felt relief as the pain simply slipped away and vanished. As I moved my hand away, I saw that the burn had been healed to the point that it was basically a mild sunburn now.

"Well, it's good to know I can add that to my list of abilities," I muttered as I let the water return to it's place in the stream. With that out of the way, I pulled my gear from the sack and began to rearm myself. Right now, there was a paralyzing mole monster and a VERY pissed off Zuko bearing down on my friends. I had to get back to them as quickly as possible, or else things would no doubt get worse.

* * *

The abbey was in shambles by the time I got back to it. While Zuko and Aang duked it out in a fire on air duel, June and her pet were on a rampage. Not even Appa could withstand the venom in that damn thing. Although to the ole boy's credit, it did take several tongue strikes to bring him down. I came in at that point, just as Appa hit the ground and Nyla turned his attention to a small group of nuns.

Katara and Sokka were lying against the base of a wall, paralyzed like Appa. Although they did look rather happy to see me when I came trotting up to them.

"Morgan, where have you been?!" Sokka asked.

"Oh, now you care?" I asked as I crouched next to them and looked them over. Other than the venom, which was wearing off, they both seemed fine.

"We got side tracked, and we're sorry, but it this really the time right now?" Katara asked. I shook my head as I looked toward the rampaging beast with the bounty hunter on it's back.

"No, no it's not," I answered as I stood and nocked an arrow. I didn't move toward it directly, but rather circled it at a distance, studying it's movements.

"Young man, you should be helping your friends," the Mother Superior hissed at me as she ran up to me, taking a chance of being out in the courtyard.

"I help them by putting that thing down, you help them getting them on their feet again, okay?" I replied, cocking my eyebrow at her. She frowned hard, but gave a short nod before hurrying off to do what I asked. Turning my attention back to the beast, I reached down and drew the tomahawk from my belt. I gave it a single twirl, getting a feel for it's weight before sighing. It was do or die time.

Without too much of a thought, I threw the tomahawk. It tumbled end over end before embedding itself in the giant thing's side. Instantly the creature went beserk, throwing it's rider in the process as it struggled to reach the weapon. I blinked, stunned at the success of the throw. But I didn't linger. Instead, I drew back my arrow and fired.

The metal shaft found it's mark in the creature's neck. It thrashed about in pain before turning toward me, snapping it's tongue like a whip. Luckily I was just barely out of range, and managed to dodge the strike. I answered with another arrow, this time hitting it where one of it's eyes should have been. It reared up on it's hind legs, letting out a high pitched shriek before it collapsed into the dust, it's tongue hanging out of it's mouth.

"NOOO!" June shrieked as she looked over her fallen mount. She turned on me with pure murder in her eyes before snapping her whip. Before I could blink, my bow had been ripped from my hands. She cracked the whip again, and I reeled back as a sharp sting filled my cheek. Feeling a warmth, I tapped my fingertips there and found them red with blood.

The air cracked with the whip again and again as she came after me, and I realized she could keep doing so until I was dead or dying. I only had one weapon left. Drawing my revolver, I cocked the weapon and took aim, but hesitated. Despite all I had been through, I'd never actually killed someone.

Another crack, and this time a fiery pain flared up on the left side of my face, and the vision in my eye went out. I let out a yell of pain as I fell backwards, my free hand flying to my face. June continued her advance on me, until Sokka appeared behind her and hit her hard over the head with his club.

"Morgan!" Katara appeared over me, pressing a rag to my face.

"Hey, glad to see you two up and about," I said, despite the pain.

"Really, you're joking right now?" she asked.

"If you can joke, you're alive," I replied.

"Can you move?" Sokka asked as he came over to us and I sat up.

"Yeah, where's Aang?" I asked as I lowered the hammer on the revolver and returned it to it's holster.

"He's finishing up with Prince hot pants," Sokka said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. I looked, just in time to watch Aang blast Zuko with a gust of wind powerful enough to throw him into the wall behind him and knock him out cold.

"Huh."

"We should probably use this chance to get out of here," Katara said as I got to my feet.

"We should probably see what kind of stuff crazy lady had on her," Sokka said, earning a glare from his sister.

"Sokka! Morgan's hurt," she said.

"No, he's right. At the very least get some of that venom collected, it might come in handy later," I said, earning a deadpanned look from Katara and a gleeful one from Sokka. I ignored them both as I made my way toward Appa. Whatever the nuns had done to the siblings to get them moving again had also worked on the flying bison. The big fluff ball let out a soft rumble as I approached.

"I'm alright, big guy, just need a little rest is all," I said, patting him on the side as I went by. I climbed up his tale and collapsed into the saddle, utterly exhausted. Katara appeared beside me with my bow, laying it down next to me before she went to work with a wet rag in order to clean the wounds on my face.

"You could have been killed," she said, matter of factly.

"I know."

"That was some of the stupidest stuff I have ever seen," she added.

"I know," I said again, my tone not changing. Her serious face melted into a small soft smile as she took my hand in hers.

"I'm glad you're okay," she said, much softer now. I gave her hand a squeeze of reassurance, but otherwise didn't say anything, I simply didn't have it in me. As Aang cracked the reigns and Appa took off, I let my head fall back, and I slipped into a dreamless sleep.

 **And cut. That's all for this chapter. Real life kept me from getting this out sooner, but it's here now, and something is better than nothing, right? Anywho, you all know drill: drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys, I got a new chapter. Let's get on with it, shall we?**

You know, I'm not entirely sure if I've ever truly believed in luck. Don't get me wrong, I've seen plenty of evidence of it. Sokka is just one of a couple of examples of people I've met who if it can go wrong around them, it will. But beyond that, I've never really put much thought into it. One thing I have noticed is that whenever someone in the group uses the phrase: 'it couldn't hurt to do blank' or something close to that, things went down hill fast.

It was late afternoon with golden sunlight streaming through the trees when we came across the board. Sitting in the middle of an intersection was a bulletin board of sorts. It had posters of all kinds, showing off what was happening in the area. Boards like this were common along the roads, set up in order to let travelers know what was happening.

"Hey, check this out, the fire festival," Aang said as he pointed to a large poster. The others began to talk about the pros and cons of going and checking out this festival. I walked around the board, checking to make sure we had seen everything while leaning on my walking stick. Turning my head, I focused on the board with my right eye.

In the few weeks since the fight at the abbey with Zuko and June, my face had healed relatively quickly thanks to Katara's care. Although I wasn't completely blind in my left eye, my vision had been greatly reduced in it. There was also a rather visible scar on the left side of my face.

Sure enough, on the other side of the board were several posters with red borders that depicted various individuals. One of them was a full body sketch of Aang.

"These are wanted posters, aren't they?" I asked Sokka as he came around and joined me.

"Yep, and look who's front and center," he answered.

"Who is?" Aang asked.

"You are. You might want to rethink going to that festival," Sokka said.

"But this might be my only chance to study firebending up close," Aang said.

"You sure duking it out with Zuko isn't up close?" I asked, earning an annoyed look from the airbender.

"You know what I mean," he replied.

"It's all showmanship, Aang. I'm pretty sure there is a difference between what the festival uses and what's in actual combat," I said.

"It couldn't hurt to go and check it out," Katara said. And like that, I was turned off of the idea entirely. Something always, always, goes wrong whenever someone says that.

"You can go, I'm not setting one pinky toe in that place," I said.

"Come on, Morgan, we'll be in and out before we get caught," Aang said.

"Yeah, because we always leave before that happens," Sokka replied, sarcastically.

"See, this man gets it," I said, pointing to Sokka.

"You know, you don't have to tag along with us," Katara pointed out. I blinked once as I registered her words in her mind. Of course, why didn't I think of that?

"Okay, I'm going this way," I said, picking a northerly direction and starting toward it.

"You're wandering off, again?" Sokka asked, disbelief in his voice. I waved him off without looking back.

"Ah, we'll be back on the same route before the night is out," I said without much worry.

* * *

I was right. Again. It was starting to become an annoying habit. Slipping past the village where the others wanted to go put me into direct contact with some tribesmen. By that, I mean they ambushed me and threatened to run me through with a spear unless I did what they said. After that, they took me deep into the woods to their village.

Now I very vaguely remembered this episode, three details to be exact; Aang tried to lean firebending from Jeong Jeong, Katara got burned, and Aang swore off firebending until almost the end of the series. I sure didn't remember these guys, but that doesn't mean they weren't there. What had me concerned was the fact that they had captured me while I was off on my own. Don't get me wrong, I was happy they did cause I would be linked back up with the group. But without Aang, I was just a simple traveler. What reason would they have for taking me? Unless, I was expected somehow.

The village I was taken to was a having a really hard time living up to that title. It was more of a large camp with huts made from reeds that was situated along the riverbank. It wasn't a bad set up. Deep enough in the forest that no one would stumble across it, and lightly constructed enough that it's inhabitants could knock it down and run at a moment's notice.

I was led to a large hut situated right on the bank of the river. Everything but the hooded poncho I was wearing and my walking staff were taken from me and sat aside. With this done, the man who had been leading the party pointed his spear at me.

"He will see you now," he said in a gruff voice before stepping back and allowing me entrance to the hut. I eyed everyone cautiously, not really wanting to go inside. But, seeing as how the alternative was to take about five or six spears to the everything, I set foot inside anyway. The inside was dark, with a white haired man sitting behind a ring of candles with his legs folded in a meditation position. Behind him was a tree that looked like it had seen better days.

"You have come," he said, his voice soft, yet still commanding respect and power. I studied him closely as I took a step closer. He had shaggy white hair and a Fu Manchu to match. Overall he looked the end result of Doc Brown suddenly becoming a Kung Fu master.

"Am I expected?" I asked cautiously.

"Nothing about your presence is expected. You being here has upset more than you know," he answered harshly, his voice containing a mix of anger and accusation. I cast a glance at my boots.

"Yeah, I keep getting told that." He raised his head and opened his eyes at that. In the dim light of the candles, their amber color almost seemed to glow.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked. I nodded once.

"Jeong Jeong, the Deserter," I answered. He returned my nod, acknowledging that I was correct.

"And what should I call you? Merlin, or Morgan?" he asked. I took a short breath through my nose, unsure of just how much he knew about me.

"What do you know of me?" I asked, answering his question with a question.

"For weeks I have heard of both. A lone traveler who can conjure thunder, and a skilled archer traveling alongside the Avatar. To which do I speak?"

"Both, but Morgan is preferred," I decided, not seeing the point in hiding either identity from him.

"Do you know why I have brought you here?" he continued.

"Not really," I confessed as I sat on the floor across from him.

"There is an old prophecy, one which has been passed down amongst the members of my Order since the beginning of the Era. It warns of the coming of one who will lead to the disruption of balance in the world," he said. I actually had to mentally stop myself from rolling my eyes. A prophecy, seriously? What's next, a princess that needs rescuing? A dragon needing to be slain? Actually, this series had both princess and dragons, so I should probably shut my mouth before I tempt fate way too much.

"And what? I'm suppose to be the person who brings about…" I froze as a new realization dawned on me; there was no prophecy in the show. In fact, the only time the subject was ever touched upon was when they visited my fortuneteller of a grandmother. This development had happened solely because of my presence here.

"What do you mean 'disruption of balance'?" I finished, now much more worried thanks to my sudden revelation. Jeong Jeong reached forward and picked up one of the candles.

"You are like this flame, providing warmth and illuminance against the dark for those around you. But, if mishandled…" he trailed off as he held a lump of cloth over the flame, which went up almost instantly. The firebender held onto the burning fabric, ignoring the flames as they danced over his skin and stared me in the eye.

"Unless contained, the flames which you fan will continue to grow and spread, until everything is consumed," he said. The fire in his hand and the flames on the remaining candles all surged in strength and size. I held up my hand out of instinct, blocking my face from the surge of heat. The flames surged some more before going out entirely, leaving the interior of the hut cloaked in darkness.

My heart pounded in my ears as I sat, starting into the black space around me. Up until now I had been aware of what was at stake, but the true scope of it had never dawned on me. This wasn't just some show I had watched growing up. It was a living, breathing world with actual people's lives on the line. People that I cared about, and everything I did effected them.

"What would you have me do?" I asked into the darkness, unsure if I would even get an answer back. A single candle lit up, illuminating the space between us again. Instead of Jeong Jeong sitting across from me, it was the girl from the Crescent Island. I sat up a little straighter, stunned by her sudden appearance.

"Why do you continue to ask questions I have already given you answers to? This your afterlife, the choice of what do with it is yours," she said.

"That's not good enough!" I snapped, jumping to my feet, "those are actual people out there! People's lives depend on me! It can't just be 'your choice' and leave it at that!"

"That's all life ever is, Jacob. Choice, and consequence," she replied before fading away to dust like she had before. All that was left was Jeong Jeong, who sat about relighting the candles by snapping his fingers next to the wicks. I was breathing heavy, anger sitting like a hot weight in my chest. Once again I had no guidance, no idea what to do. Just told to go forth and do whatever I wanted. All I wanted to do right now was scream.

"What will you do to me?" I asked, swallowing my anger to the best of my ability. The firebending master sighed as he lit the last candle and sat it down.

"Nothing. We are sworn not to interfere with the affairs of the world," he said. I gave a single nod of understanding before I turned to leave.

"Remember to maintain control, Morgan, lest you be consumed," he said after me.

* * *

Aang and the others arrived shortly after I left Jeong Jeong's hut. I made an effort to keep to myself for the majority of that time, wanting a chance to try and clear my head. They noticed, Katara especially, but they knew by now to give me my space when I wanted it. By the time morning rolled around, my anger had burned off enough that I had somewhat rejoined the group. Katara tried to ask what was bothering me, but I made it clear that I didn't want to discuss it.

As Aang began his study under Jeong Jeong, Katara and I practiced our waterbending. It mainly consisted of sending a blob of water back and forth between the two of us. The aim of the exercise was to build up better control and technique, or at least that's what the single waterbending scroll said. It was extensive enough that I had to take my poncho off because I was sweating.

What Katara didn't know was that there was an ulterior motive for me to be practicing this close to Aang and Jeong Jeong. I was torn throughout the night, arguing back and forth with myself about what to next, in particular the fact that Aang was suppose to accidently burn Katara. Part of me saw the need to just stand back and do nothing. As cruel as that may sound, the incident taught Aang the importance of self control, and it taught Katara about her healing abilities, both of which were going to be needed later.

That being said, the idea of standing by and doing nothing while Katara got hurt wasn't something I was sure I could force myself to do. So I practiced, catching the water and sending it back while half listening in on Aang and Jeong Jeong's conversation.

The funny thing is that I actually understood what the old man was trying to teach Aang. Fire is wild, and if not controlled, incredibly destructive. In short, control was what made the mark of a great firebender. Unfortunately, Aang had the attention span of a twelve year old, which he was, and was only focused on learning how to conjure fire.

For the kid, the tipping point finally came when Jeong Jeong burnt a hole into the middle of a leaf, and told him to keep it from reaching the edge before being called off by one of the tribesmen. Aang grew frustrated and board almost as soon as his teacher was out of sight.

"This is the worst firebending instruction ever! All he does is leave me for hours to concentrate or breathe," he complained, clearly annoyed.

"Firebending comes from the breath, Aang. For an airbender, you're way too impatient," I said as Katara bent the blob of water back into the river.

"But I'm ready for so much more," he replied before looking at his leaf again. After a moment, I saw his eyes light up with an idea, and he resumed his stance and began to breathe again. A heartbeat later, the leaf flared up, and a single flame sat in the palm of the young airbender's hand.

"I did it, I made fire!" he yelled excitedly.

"Aang, that's great, but you should take it slow," Katara said. Her words fell on deaf ears, as he began to toss the fireball back and forth between his hands.

"Now THAT is some firebending," Aang said, quickly becoming wrapped up in his newfound ability. His movements began to get more erratic as he got more and more cocky.

"Aang, you'll burn yourself!" Katara called, concern now in her voice. Again, her words fell on deaf ears, as Aang only had eyes for the flame in the palms of his hands.

"Aang, you are literally playing with fire right now, take it down a notch!" I yelled, hoping to get through to him. Like Katara, my words went unheard.

"I wonder how that juggler did it?" Aang asked to himself as he began to try and juggle the fireball. Time almost seemed to slow as I realized what was going to happen next. Aang threw his arms out, sending a blast of fire in all directions. This was it. Do or die time. Either stand by and let events run their course, or step in and purposely alter things.

My life. My choice.

I was moving before I even realized that I was. Grabbing Katara by the forearms, I spun her around, placing myself between her and the flames. The fire bit into my back, tearing through my shirt and searing my flesh underneath. My teeth clenched down as I fought to keep from screaming out in pain.

It was over in an instant, and the reality of what had just happened slammed down on everyone present.

"Morgan?" Katara asked in a small, stunned voice.

"Are you okay?" I asked, my teeth still clenched.

"I…I'm fine, are you…?"

"Morgan! I'm so sorry!" Aang said as he ran over to us.

"Control, Aang, this is why you need control!" I snapped before I started to hobble off, not bothering to see how my words effected him. I didn't know how bad the burns were, but I could tell by the fact that it was taking me all my willpower to keep from collapsing that it wasn't good. Finding a large rock along the shoreline, I stopped and leaned on it, trying to breathe through the pain.

"You're hurt," Katara said as she appeared beside me. Not surprising that she had followed me.

"It's becoming a habit," I replied before I slipped off the rock, falling to my hands and knees in the mud along the water's edge. Katara knelt beside me, and bent a blob of water onto my back. Instantly, relief flooded through my being.

"Does that feel better?" she asked. I let out a long sigh as I felt the burning pain fade away.

"Yeah," I replied tiredly. The pain receded, until finally it was little more than a stinging memory. I heard Katara gasp in surprise as she lifted the water away and studied my fully healed skin that was left behind.

"You have healing abilities," Jeong Jeong said, stepping out of the tree line as I sat up onto my knees.

"How?" she asked. I simply shrugged as I dipped my hand into the river.

"I've heard stories that sometimes waterbenders can do this," I answered. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. Of course, the fact that I could do it myself only cemented my statement. Thankfully, the firebender nodded in agreement with me as he came forward to join us.

"I wish I was blessed as you two are, free from this burning curse," he said.

"But you're a great master, you have powers we'll never know," Katara said.

"Water brings healing and life. But fire brings only destruction and pain," he replied.

"Fire is life, not just destruction," I said, remembering one of my favorite quotes from the show. The white haired man cocked his head at me, silently questioning me.

"Without fire, there is no heat to warm against the cold, no light against the dark. Fire is needed just as much as water," I elaborated. Jeong Jeong continued to gaze at me, as if suddenly unsure what to make of me. Before he could speak, several fireballs landed in the river. He sprang into action, deflecting one that would have hit us.

"Get back to the others and get out of here! Do not return!" he ordered as he assumed a bending stance and faced the three boats that were coming up the river. I didn't need to be told twice, getting to my feet, grabbing Katara's hand, and running back in the direction we had come from. When we got back to camp, I motioned toward Appa, whom Sokka had just finished loading up. Taking my hint, Katara quickly climbed aboard the sky bison.

"Where's Aang?" I asked as I slid to a halt. Sokka motioned toward Jeong Jeong's hut.

"In there, sulking. Are you alright, what happened?" he asked.

"Later. Get this fluff monster ready to take off, the Fire Nation is right on top of us," I said as I turned and ran toward the hut. Inside, I found Aang sitting in a meditation form, but his frame was slouched.

"I should have listened to you and Katara. I'm never going to firebend again," he said, solemnly. I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at his drama. I tend to turn into kind of a no nonsense ass when under pressure. Like right now, for instance.

"You're full of crap, and we need to go," I said, grabbing him by the shirt collar and dragging him out of the hut. This angered Aang a little bit, and he hopped to his feet.

"What gives?" he asked.

"Fire Nation, we need to go. Right. Now," I said, stressing every word. Instantly, Aang's demeanor shifted.

"What about Jeong Jeong?" he asked.

"He's a firebending master, he can handle himself, let's go!" I answered as I climbed onto Appa. Aang looked conflicted at first, but finally jumped onto the bison's head and cracked the reigns. The sky bison lumbered into the air, and we quickly put the whole place behind us. Now that we were airborne and finally safe for the moment, Aang actually took notice of my back.

"Hey, you're not burned," he pointed out. I shrugged slightly.

"Not anymore, no," I said before I began to take the tattered remains of my shirt off. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Katara's cheeks flush some as she tried to make it seem like she wasn't looking. Sokka, being the great detective that he was, picked the fabric up and looked it over closely.

"This shirt took a full on fire blast, how is it that you're not hurt?" he asked. I casually motioned to Katara, who was seated opposite of me.

"Her. She's got some good water," I said, earning a full on blush out of her.

"Wait, wait, you had healing abilities all this time and you've never used them?" Sokka asked.

"I guess I never had any incentive to do so," Katara answered.

"Oh really? What about the time I got two fish hooks stuck in my thumb?" he questioned, sticking his thumb out to illustrate his point. Both Aang and I cocked our eyebrows at the siblings.

"Two?" he asked.

"He tried to get the first fish hook out with a second," Katara explained, smiling at the memory. I blinked a couple of times as my mind tried to process that line of thought.

"How did…you know what, never mind. I'm gonna take a nap. Give me a shirt, it's freezing up here," I said.

 **And cut. That's all for this time around. Remember to drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you liked or didn't like about this chapter, and I'll see you all next time.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. We're nearing the end of Book One, and thus, the end of this particular instalment of Morgan's journey. With that, let's get into the events surrounding the Northern Air Temple.**

 _"Tell me another story, Grandpa!" I said with energy, looking up at the weathered face of my grandfather with excitement as I bounced on his bony knee. My grandfather was clearly a man of the land, his dark skin almost like leather from spending years working under an unforgiving sun. His salt and pepper colored hair stretched down his back, and the black pipe clenched firmly in his teeth billowed blue smoke like a tiny steam engine._

 _"Another? You have quite the appetite, Ksikk-Makoyi, I have already told you three this evening," he said._

 _"One more, please?" I begged, making my eyes as big as possible as only a four year old could. He smiled a warm down at me._

 _"Alright. One more. But then it's off to bed with you," he said._

 _"Yay!"_

 _"This time, I shall tell you how Napi, the Old Man, made the world."_

"Morgan, Morgan! Wake up!" A sharp elbow jabbed into my side, just under my ribs. Instantly my eyes were open and I was wide awake. Apparently I had drifted off while some guy was telling a story to those of us gathered around a large campfire. Not really surprising, considering that my day consisted of bending practice, hunting, and traveling.

"I'm up," I mumbled before Katara could elbow me again, pulling my coat a little tighter around me. We were in the Northern Mountains now, drawing ever closer to our ultimate goal: the Northern Water Tribe. Winter had fully set in, which when combined with the fact that we were in the mountains and headed further and further north meant that our days were steadily getting colder.

I'd stuck it out with my poncho the first couple of days, but after that it got to the point that it simply wasn't enough. I wound up borrowing a parka from Sokka, if anything to fend off frost bite. Something I had to admit was that the blue and white coat made me look like a member of the Water Tribe, which was probably why a lot of people seemed to think that's where I was from.

"You can't keep nodding off like that, it's rude," Katara said in a hushed voice.

"You can't keep waking me up at the ass crack of dawn in order to practice and spar and then expect me to sit through campfire stories, yet here we sit," I replied before yawning as if to prove my point. I was tired, and I wanted sleep, shoot me. She gave me an annoyed look, but otherwise kept quiet as she went back to listening to the storyteller weave his tale.

I have to admit, I did find it interesting how the Air Nomads had slipped into a kind of myth like status, despite the mere hundred years that had passed since their downfall. Aang in particular seemed to enjoy the tale, listening to it the whole time with a nostalgic smile. Seeing this brought me back to my dream, and I felt my heart sink a little.

My grandfather had been a big figure in my life before his passing. He'd told me several stories, many of them the old legends of the Blackfoot, although he sometimes told Christian legends, and even a Norse myth or two when the mood struck him. A lot of what I knew and what I had, I owed to him in some way.

Another elbow brought me out of my thoughts, and I glared at Katara again. Her blue eyes were glaring at me with a fierce shine that was reflected from the firelight.

"What did I say about sleeping?" she chastised like a mother would to a small child.

"I was thinking, Mom, not sleeping," I replied, making my annoyance abundantly clear.

"What could you be thinking about so hard that made you stare off like that?" she asked. I leaned back on my log seat and motioned toward where Aang was chatting with the storyteller.

"Him. He reminds me of me when I listened to my grandfather tell stories," I said.

"The same one who gave you your necklace, right?"

"Yeah. He always said 'One day, Kiskk-Makoyi, it will be up to you to pass on the stories of our people'. I guess he was right," I mused. A look of confusion crossed her face.

"Kiskk-Makoyi?" she asked. It dawned on me that I hadn't explained myself, or all that much about the tribe I came from in general to her.

"Oh, sorry. That's the name he gave me in our tribe's language. It means…"

"Guess what! That guy's great grandfather thinks he saw airbenders last week!" Aang interrupted excitedly. Katara and I shared a look.

"Aang, are you sure?" she asked. We all knew how touchy the subject of the Air Nomads was to Aang, and as such was one that was rarely brought up. The look on the young airbender's face was a hopeful one, but there was also a hint of pain in his eyes.

"Honestly, I still have some doubts. But we're not that far from the Northern Air Temple. If there are airbenders there, it'd make sense that they were spotted in this area," he reasoned. I couldn't argue with that kind of logic either.

"If you want to go check it out, I don't see a problem with it. It's on the way, after all," I said. Aang's face fell as he thought to himself.

"What if it's just rumors, or that old guy really is crazy?" he asked, voicing his doubts. I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"You owe it to yourself to look. Story or not, we got your back," I said. He smiled at that.

"Thanks, Morgan." I clapped him once.

"Now can we wait until morning to go see this Temple? I'm beat."

* * *

Despite the mid morning sun, the wind near the tops of the mountain peaks had a frigid bite to them. I looked down upon the white clouds below, leaning over the side of the saddle as I looked ahead in anticipation. This was my first visit to an Air Temple, and I was eager to see if it measured up in person to what I had in my head and my memories of the show.

Sokka gave me a run down of the Southern Air Temple, which they had visited before meeting me. Although magnificent in scale and architecture, it had still been a crumbling, bone strewn ruin. Overall the group was hopeful about this trip, but also cautious. It was entirely possible we'd find another version of what they'd come across down south.

My memory of the show around this time period was fuzzy, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. What I did remember was this; the group visited the Northern Air Temple, and immediately afterward they went to the North Pole. Part of me wondered what I would do after we got there. Learn waterbending, sure, but then what?

After being on the road for so long with them, it was hard to see myself separating from them. But what would be the point of having me around? Katara was meant to be Aang's waterbending master, so where did that leave me? I suppose I could stay being the main hunter and support guy for the group, the quartermaster in the background that kept supplies stocked and everyone's bellies full. Not the most glamorus thing to do, but hey, in the end at least I'd be able to say that I was there.

"Look!" Katara exclaimed, pointing out ahead of us. Rising above us on a peak which towered over all the others was the Northern Air Temple. It was an extravagant building of spires, literally carved out of the mountain itself. What's more, there were signs all over the place of habitation. Chimneys had smoke pouring out of them, and everywhere you looked there was movement, like a busy ant colony.

Not even the skies around the Temple were clear. Several gliding contraptions baring a resemblance to Aang's staff made from green material swooped about, dancing freely in the air around the peak. Well, when I say that, I mean gliding more than flying. If you've studied the way Aang uses his glider as long as I have, you could tell the difference. Aang had more grace and flow to his movements, while these were far more rigid.

"They really are airbenders!" Katara exclaimed in excitement. Aang, however, sat back on Appa's head and folded his arms.

"No. They're not," he said.

"What do you mean they're not? Those guys are flying!" Sokka said, for once sharing in his sister's excitement.

"Gliding maybe, but not flying. You can tell by the way they move, they're not airbending. They have no spirit," Aang replied almost bitterly. Although I hadn't spoken up yet, I was still impressed. For civilizations that barely had a grasp on steam power to develop hang gliding, it was interesting to say the least.

An image suddenly flashed through my mind. A giant metal airship with the Fire Nation emblem emblazoned on the side. It was an image I had seen before, in my nightmares. I pressed my palm to my forehead as I sat back in the saddle, trying to fight off an oncoming headache.

"Morgan, you okay?" Katara asked with concern.

"Yeah, just a little headache is all," I answered with a grimace. These little half truths were going to be the death of me, I was sure of it. Speaking of, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, and just barely had time to duck as a wooden wheel passed right through the space where my head had been a second earlier. Laughter filled the air as a kid sitting in a triangular chair with a glider attached sored on by.

"I don't know, Aang, that guy seems to have spirit," Katara said, pointing after him. Looking up and seeing the challenge, Aang snapped open his own glider and dove after him. I took over the reigns and guided Appa to land at a large courtyard. Several people on the ground were pointing upwards at Aang and the guy in the chair, looking on as the two turned gliding into a dance like art form.

"Go, Teo! Show that bald kid how it's done!" one of the onlookers yelled. As if hearing the challenge, Aang proceeded to jump from his glider, ride an air scooter along a vertical wall for a short distance, before jumping back to his glider again and continuing on as if nothing happened. Not to be outdone, Teo proceeded to make a smoke drawing in the sky of Aang's scowling face. It was actually a dead ringer, believe it or not.

With their little dance off over, Aang came in and landed next to us. Teo landed right behind him, grabbing the break on his chair and bringing himself to a halt before he could roll off the side of the mountain. A few others came and removed the glider from his chair, at which point he grabbed the wheels and shoved himself in our direction. I quickly realized that it doubled as both a pilot's seat and a wheelchair.

"Hey, you're a real airbender. You must be the Avatar! That's amazing, I've heard stories about you!" Teo said excitedly.

"Thanks," Aang replied, rubbing the back of his head in the process. Sokka, with his ever present thirst for all things technological, was looking Teo's wheelchair over with major interest.

"Whoa, this glider chair is awesome," he said. The kid raised his goggles and grinned up at Sokka.

"If you think that's good, you should see what else my father has come up with," he said. Shoving off, he led us into the interior of the Temple. The inside was, well, how do I describe it? Imagine if you took one of them mountain top Tibetan monk monasteries, and then let a steampunk enthusiast go ape shit inside. If you can conjure that, then you'll get an idea of what the Northern Air Temple was like.

Steam pipes of all sizes ran everywhere, snaking their way in and out of the walls like massive metal vines. On the walls beneath the pipes, old murals and paintings were still clearly visible. Seeing this, I was conflicted. On one hand, to see this level of technology gave me hope of things advancing beyond the freakin' dark ages.

That said, the blatant disrespect for the culture that came before was unsettling to say the least. I cast a wary glance toward Aang, unsure of how my friend was going to react. He looked almost heartbroken as he stopped before one mural in particular.

"This is suppose to be the history of my people," he said sadly. Katara placed her hand on his shoulder. I stood awkwardly off to the side, unsure of what to do or say. On the one hand, I could relate to him, given how natives in general were treated. But on the other hand, I couldn't say much without running the risk of revealing the truth. In the end, I opted to keep my mouth shut and just be supportive.

Sokka's reaction to this place was almost the complete opposite of Aang's. He was amazed at all the innovation that had gone into this place. Not surprising, given what I had seen of him so far. More than once, I'd caught him trying to sneak glances at my revolver. As I watched these two vastly different reactions to the same thing, a new thought graced my mind.

From what I remembered, the guy in charge of the Temple, Teo's father, was one of the most capable inventors in the entire series. Many of his gadgets and inventions went on to be built upon, effecting the course of events all the way up until Korra's time. Reaching down, I drew my revolver and looked at it as it lay in the palm of my hand.

I was standing on the edge of something huge. In my hand was the blueprint for a whole new future. Between this, and the Mechanist's mind and creative skill, I could introduce guns into the world. Give these new weapons to the Earth Kingdom, and that would bring the war to an end much sooner.

Before I could react, a vision suddenly flooded my mind. In it, I saw soldiers wearing Fire Nation uniforms. They were holding rifles, something slightly more advanced then a musket, executing the people of some Earth Kingdom village. Those who weren't being shot were barricaded in their homes and left to burn alive. One of the soldiers turned his weapon toward me and fired, and my sight went white with the muzzle flash.

As suddenly as it began, the vision ended, and I came to back where I was, panting. Goosebumps stood on my skin, and the entirety of my form tingled at the sensation. As I caught my breath, I holstered my revolver again before glancing about me. Thankfully, none of the others had noticed my sudden reaction. If they had, they probably just mistook it as me getting a sudden blast of cold air.

I shuttered and pulled my coat tighter around me. Never before had I experienced something like that. Was this one of my new gifts, or the little girl spirit trying to warn me of possible outcomes. Either way, I realized that my initial plan was a very bad one and was almost certain to get way more people killed.

"Some things are better left untouched," I whispered to myself as I snapped my gun into it's holster.

* * *

The shock and force of my vision was enough that I was more or less left wandering around in a stupor for a while afterward. When I came to, I was being led down a dark passageway by Sokka and the man I recognized as Teo's father. The lanterns we were using were very dim, only putting off a dull glow rather than a practical source of light.

"Hey, you alright? You've been staring off into space for a while now," Sokka said.

"Yeah, just…got a lot on my mind," I replied. He looked like he wanted to say more, but focused on the lantern he was holding instead.

"I can barely see with these things," he griped before opening the lid in order to see what was inside. Instead of a candle, there was a collection of fireflies, one of which promptly flew out.

"Close that up! They'll get loose," the Mechanist said, prompting Sokka to immediately shut the lid again.

"Why fireflies?" I asked, confused.

"We need a non flammable light source," he explained.

"Gas?" I asked, glancing about at the rock walls around us.

"Yes, actually. How did you know?" he asked.

"Makes sense. Miners are always using candles and birds and such to tell if they've hit a gas pocket or not," I reasoned with a shrug.

"Yes, very astute of you. I wish I had thought of it when I first came down here with a torch. Nearly blew myself and the whole place even more sky high. Thought my eyebrows would never grow back," he said, pointing toward a few patches of hair above his eyes that might have been eyebrows at one point.

"So how much gas is down here?" Sokka asked as we came to a large wooden door with sealant lining every possible crack.

"At least one large chamber full. The stuff is so potent that we can't explore any further than what we have seen. For all we know these gas chambers could run right into the heart of the mountain," the Mechanist replied as he began to look the edges of the door over for any possible leaks.

"It's not that much of a problem, you got the chamber sealed off and this part of the mountain under lockdown. Just keep idiots with candles out and you're good to go," I said.

"Wrong. From time to time we get leaks, but we can never tell where they're coming from," the Mechanist replied.

"So this place is an explosion waiting to happen," Sokka said with some realization.

"Yes. At least until I can figure out a way to find something I can't see, hear, smell, or touch."

* * *

If there's one thing I have a knack for, it's wandering off on my own. As you've probably guessed by now, that was one of the main reasons why I kept finding myself in trouble. Although in my defense, I usually have a reason for doing so. Like in this case, I didn't feel like being the third wheel between Sokka and the Mechanist anymore, so I headed off.

I did consider giving the Mechanist a bullet so that I could see if it would be possible for him to replicate it. My plan was to swear him to secrecy, and if it turns out that it was indeed possible, I would be able to restock my rather limited supply of ammunition. But with him and Sokka constantly bouncing ideas off each other, I never really got my chance.

So there I was, wandering the halls of the Temple. Part of me hoped to find a library or something, maybe uncover some lost Air Nomad secret buried in a scroll somewhere. The logical part of my brain laughed this off, remembering that even if I did find a scroll, there was no way I would have been able to read it.

Giving up on my exploration of the place, I headed back toward Appa and where my gear was stored. Many of the colonists were busy testing out their gliders, while the sky bison had simply plopped himself down in the courtyard and was content to watch. I climbed up into the saddle and dug into my pack, pulling out the only book I had in my possession.

It had been months since I had actually had the chance to sit down and read. Between practice, traveling, and hunting to survive, there just simply wasn't enough time. Now, with a chance to myself, I plopped down in the saddle and happily immersed myself. ' _The Seven Pillars of Wisdom_ ' may not have been some kind of sci fi or fantasy thriller, but it might have offered some insight on how to fight this war we were in.

I wasn't far into the book when my mind began to wander. Mainly, it focused on what was to come. In particular, it focused on a certain waterbender, and exactly what kind of light I saw her in. I remembered the prediction my grandmother had given to me. 'A passionate young woman from a far away land.' Katara fit the description, but so did several others. After all, this entire world could be considered a far away land to me, so really all I had to go on was a passionate young woman. Not much to go off of.

Not only that, there was the fact that she was suppose to end up with Aang. Three kids between them, and eventually grandkids further down the line if I remembered right. Altering events was one thing, but making it so whole entire lives never happened in the first place was a whole different ball game, one I wasn't sure I was willing to play

A loud crash, followed by someone screaming in pain drew my attention away from the book and my thoughts. I looked up to find that one of the colonials had crash landed and was now sitting in the middle of the shattered remains of his glider, clutching his leg. Even from here, I could already see a large red spot forming from the amount of blood.

Closing my book, I jumped from the saddle and trotted over to the small group that was forming. A couple of younger boys sprinted off toward the Temple, probably looking to find whomever counted as the doctor around here. I pushed my way through the people to find the guy on the guy on the ground, his teeth clenched as he held his leg with both hands. My stomach churned at the sight of his leg, which was bent at an awkward angle and had bone showing.

"Water!" I called out as I knelt down and began to look the leg over. It wasn't as bad as it looked. If it was set right away it'd probably heal fine and he'd walk without a limp. At least, I hoped that was the case anyway. Fact was, I didn't know much more than first aid when it came to the medical field.

"Water!" I yelled again, but was only met with confused looks from the onlookers. I rolled my eyes, quickly becoming annoyed at much time we were losing.

"I'm a healer, I can help, but I need some water," I explained. Finally, someone from the crowd held out a wineskin. I took it, pulled the cork, and took a quick sniff. Thankfully it actually was water, and not whatever passed as a distilled drink in this part of the continent. Setting the skin down, I bent a large blob of water out and held it over my hand.

"Hold him," I said. A couple of his buddies immediately grabbed his shoulders and held him in place while I grabbed his leg with my free hand.

"You see that sky bison over there?" I asked him. The man looked in Appa's direction with a confused and pained expression on his face.

"What about…" he started. His words turned into a scream as I suddenly snapped his leg back into place. Without wasting a single second, I applied the water to his wound and watched as the bright blue glow began to do it's work. Thankfully, his friends did their jobs of holding him down, otherwise he might have broken my nose.

"Sorry, I needed a distraction," I said without taking my eyes off my work.

"You could have just said so," the man replied, his voice containing a tired tremble. After about five minutes or so, the water I had been using was gone, and the wound looked much better than it had. I sat back on my heels and let out a tired sigh before cracking my neck.

"It's not perfect, and you might want an actual doctor looking at it, but at least you won't be in too much pain now," I said.

"Thanks, kid," the man said, sounding much less pained now. His friends who had been holding him down now haled him to his feet and slung him over their shoulders. They headed off in the direction the boys had gone earlier, leaving me to watch them go.

"Who are you, young man?" a middle aged woman asked.

"No one, really, just someone who thought he could help," I answered with a shrug before heading back to Appa and my quiet time with my book and my thoughts. Little did I realize just how quickly that time would come to an end.

* * *

I almost shot the Mechanist when I found out he had been making weapons for the Fire Nation, then I almost shot Aang and Sokka when they told me they had let the man who had come to collect on some of the latest inventions go. There are some things that just make you question someone's intelligence to the point that you wonder how they even stand upright, and this was one of those times.

"YOU LET A WAR MINISTER JUST WALK OUT OF HERE?!" I screeched, seeing red at the whole situation.

"What should we have done, taken him prisoner?" the Mechanist asked. We were gathered in the man's personal workshop, discussing the events that had just transpired. Katara had come and found me, filling me in on what I had missed before leading me back here.

"YES! Take him prisoner, throw him off the mountain, anything but just LETTING HIM GO!"

"Morgan, you need to calm down," Katara said.

"A War Minister, a goddamn War Minister. What the hell were you thinking?" I asked, ignoring her.

"I just wanted him gone, honestly I wasn't thinking much beyond that," Aang said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Honestly I was almost as mad at myself as I was at them at this point. It had completely slipped my mind that the Mechanist was working for the Fire Nation. I had almost handed them a design for one of the most powerful weapons in human history, willingly at that. It was frightening to see just how close I came to making things worse.

"Every trooper wearing a Fire Nation uniform is going to be coming down on this place now, you do know that, right?" I asked.

"He's right. The Fire Nation knows you're here, Aang, they won't hold back when they attack," Sokka added.

"So what do we do?" The question hung in the air like a heavy fog.

"We can't just run," Aang finally said.

"Who said anything about running?" I replied.

"We have no warriors, how are we suppose to fight them off?" the Mechanist asked. Sokka's eyes lit up as a realization came down on him.

"We have air power," he said. I couldn't help but smile as he spoke.

"There is an advantage in that. As unlikely as it may seem, we do have a chance to win," I added.

"So what's the plan?" Katara asked. I turned my gaze toward the Mechanist.

"We put your inventions to use for our side, for once."

 **And cut. That's part one of two for the Northern Air Temple. Next time we get to see our first taste of an actual battle, and how Morgan handles the stress. There were also some references to Morgan's home life, in particular his relationship with his grandfather. Bonus cookie to the person who can guess what his name translates as and how it will effect the story. I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can, but life outside of the site here *cough* new baby *cough* tends to take up the majority of my attention. So, with that in mind, remember to drop a review, leave a PM, tell me what you liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Happy Thanksgiving, guys, I'm back with a new chapter. As of the posting of this chapter, this story has over a hundred and twenty follows and favs are rapidly approaching a hundred. I cannot thank you guys enough for all your support. Now, on with the story:**

It wasn't hard to see why the Air Nomads had built their Temples in places such as this. Up here, beyond the clouds, it was like the world and it's problems didn't exist. Aang said that their culture revolved around the idea of detachment from all earthly things, so it made sense they'd be up here where only they could easily reach.

I was sitting cross legged on a large stone, looking out over the side of the mountain, watching as the sun began to rise over the mountains in the east. Today was the day the attack was sure to begin. Sokka and the others had been up all night, trying to get our defenses ready. I had several wooden arrows crafted so that I wouldn't lose all my good metal ones. After this was done, I came here to be alone.

What I was doing here, not even I was entirely sure. Meditating, thinking, praying? Maybe all three. This wasn't like the couple of fights we had been involved in before, this was an actual, full scale battle. Nothing was in the heat of the moment this time. We knew what was coming. It loomed over us like a great, dark storm cloud.

I ran my thumb over my grandfather's metals, memorizing every line and bump in my head. The quiet, the waiting, it was enough to drive someone insane if they thought about it too much. I kept myself from going down that path by reviewing the plan over and over in my head.

Aang was going to lead the Colonists on their gliders and dive bomb the Fire Nation ranks as they came up the mountain. Sokka was going to pilot the war balloon alongside the Mechanist and help in the bombing. Katara was going to use Appa as a floating resupply station for Aang and the other fighters, passing out bombs to the gliders when they ran out of things to attack with. Me, my job was to stay by Katara and keep her safe.

This was a factor that Sokka had made non negotiable. Even though he was well aware that his sister could handle herself, he had made a promise to their Dad that he would protect her. If he couldn't be there to do that while he was in the balloon, apparently the job fell to me. Initially I wasn't overly happy with this role. But after some thought I realized it was the only role I was really suited to.

The very design of the gliders made firing a bow from them impractical at best, and the almost sheer sides of the mountain meant that long distance sniping would require me to actually lean out with a harness in order to take a shot. Using Appa as a stable, floating platform would be my best bet if I wanted to actually help.

"Nervous?" came a soft voice. I opened my eyes to find Katara standing a short distance away.

"Probably not as much as I should be," I answered. She came over and sat on the edge of the stone next to me.

"You never did finish your story, explaining the name your grandfather gave you," she said. I smiled softly as I looked out over the clouds.

"I'd pretty much forgotten about that," I admitted, "with everything that's happened since we got up here, I'm surprised you remembered."

"Well, with the Fire Nation coming it kind of puts things into perspective. And I want to know," she said.

"You mean you want to know more about me," I said. She didn't answer, but her cheeks gained a touch of color.

"My grandfather called me Ksikk-Makoyi. It means 'White Wolf'," I said. An expression I couldn't quite make out crossed her face.

"White Wolf?"

"Yeah. Apparently the night I was born, he heard a pack of wolves howling in the distance, and I was very pale so the name came to be," I said with a shrug. The look didn't leave Katara's face. Something about that look was unsettling, although I couldn't for the life of me put my finger on it. Worry, suspicion, fear, hope, so many emotions wrapped up into one expression that I began to worry about what was going through my friend's head.

"What?" I asked. She didn't answer, but continued to sit with that look.

"Katara, what is it?" I asked again, this time with concern in my voice.

"N..nothing! I gotta go see if the others are ready, I'll see you on Appa!" she said before hurrying off, leaving me frowning and confused. In all the time I had known her, Katara had always worn her feelings on her sleeve. Something about my name troubled her, that much was clear. But the exact reason as to why was a complete mystery.

* * *

We heard them before we saw them. The crunch of hundreds of boots on snow echoing up from below the cloudbank below us. It was a sound that was enough to turn even the most hardened person's blood to ice. Those who weren't involved in the defense of the Temple shied away from the Temple overlooks, all to eager to put some space between themselves and what came from below.

I strung my bow and looked down toward the clouds while focusing on my breathing, a technique I had picked up in order to maintain my focus so that a rush of adrenaline and fear didn't mess with my head. The person who keeps his head in the thick of a fight was the one who came out on top. This time wasn't any different.

Aung and Teo led the gliders in take off, maintaining a formation like a properly trained air force before turning and diving below the clouds. Katara and I took off on Appa, maneuvering ourselves so that we were floating in a space where the gliders could easily pass by before returning for another bombing run. Kneeling on one knee, my eyes poured over the ordinance we had, quickly taking stock on our arsenal.

"Okay, seriously, who's bright idea was it to use incendiary bombs against firebenders?" I asked as I held up what looked like an oversized birthday candle made from bamboo. The bomb had a cap over the fuse, which lit it when removed. It acted as the medieval version of pulling a pin on a grenade, which I found interesting and useful.

"Sokka's," Katara replied as she climbed from Appa's head into the saddle. Below us, the sound of several explosions echoed up the cliff side. Not long after this, the first of the gliders burst from the clouds around us. Both of us worked fast, handing off more loads of bombs to outstretched hands as they flew past.

I stood upright and nocked an arrow before scanning what I could see below us. Bombs or no bombs, there had been a lot of troops heading up this mountain when it all started. Sooner or later, someone was going to break through. Glancing away from the sounds of battle, I looked up at the Temple looming over us. Whatever finally preparations Sokka had been working on was taking too long. We were going to need that war balloon sooner rather than later.

Suddenly, several metal harpoons erupted from the clouds around us. They were training chains behind them as they fanned out and imbedded themselves into the edge of the cliff. Appa was forced to move, flying erratically in order to avoid being skewered by one of these things. Katara cried out in surprise and terror as she clung to the saddle. I was knocked onto my back, grunting in pain as I felt the air rush out of my lungs.

Gasping, I saw up and draped myself over the saddle's edge, trying to see what was going on now that we were circling around and out of immediate danger. I felt my eyes grow to the size of saucers as I got my first look at the machines that had fired the harpoons. They rolled right up the cliff face before slamming down on even ground, rolling toward the Temple. Massive steel machines painted dark gray in color, with four massive wheels connected by a set of treads.

"TANKS!" I screamed out, trying to warn everyone within eat shot. A couple of gliders dive bombed the tanks, but their smoke bombs didn't even remotely slow the lumbering monsters. A raised dome on top of the tanks opened, and bolts of fire erupted from the slot. An incoming second wave was forced to take evasive maneuvers to avoid being hit before dropping their own bombs. Again, the ordnance did little to slow their advance.

From out of no where, Aang swooped down like a yellow and orange bird of prey and landed in the middle of the formation. Swinging his staff, he unleashed three massive gusts of wind. The metal monsters were flipped like they were made of cardboard. For a moment, it looked like his intervention had worked. Then, the center bodies of the tanks rotated themselves upright, and with a jolt they all rumbled forward again. Even from where I was, I could see Aang's eyes go wide with surprise before he was forced to retreat from the amount of firepower that was turned on him.

"Those things are unstoppable," Katara said.

"I highly doubt that, we just gotta find a weakness," I replied as I climbed onto Appa's head and snapped the reins. Behind the tanks, several foot soldiers using spears appeared over the edge of the cliff, using the appearance of the armor in order to advance unhindered.

"And how do we do that?" she asked. I drew back my arrow and let it fly. A soldier that was climbing over the cliff edge caught the arrow in the shoulder, and promptly vanished back over the edge.

"I'm working on it, take the reins," I replied. We quickly switched spots, and I propped myself up in the saddle before I began taking pot shots at the infantry below. Soldier after soldier dropped, and it wasn't until the tanks turned their fire toward us that I was forced to stop. Katara yanked the reins, and we banked away from the battle, back toward the Temple.

Teo appeared alongside us, flying in formation as he studied the advancing Fire Nation ranks below.

"Tell me you know something about those things," Katara called across the gap between us.

"I remember Dad working on the ballast system. They use water to right themselves," he replied. Katara and I shared a look.

"We'll take care of the tanks, get the gliders to focus on the foot troops," I said. He nodded once before angling away. Once he was out of ear shot, Katara looked back at me.

"How are we taking care of them, exactly?" she asked. I simply gave her an evil grin.

"Just follow my lead," I replied. Slinging my bow over my midsection, I grabbed up my walking staff before directing Katara to fly Appa in low. We came in, and both of us jumped from the flying bison and into the snow. Aang was a short distance away, still battering the tanks with his airbending. It wasn't going well as he was steadily being forced back.

"What are you two doing here?!" he yelled over the noise of the fight. I stuck my staff outward before jerking it toward the sky. The snow in front of me erupted into a jagged wall of ice, which severed two of the wheels on the tank in front of me. It's body slammed down into the snow before it slid to a halt.

"Less talking, more fighting!" I yelled back. Katara raised her hands at the next tank with a look of concentration on her face. After a moment, she snapped her hands outward. The air was filled with popping sounds as several rivets burst from the machine. In their place were several small white tendrils of steam. The tank looked like an overgrown fog machine as it literally fell apart at the seams.

Seeing what we were doing, Aang swiped at a tank with his staff. A wave of ice erupted from the ground, encasing the metal monster and trapping it. The ridge we were on was rocked by several explosions. I looked up and saw several gliders flying past, and I realized that another bombing run had just been carried out.

The hair on my neck stood on end as I heard a man yell. Turning, I just barely sidestepped the spear thrust of a Fire Nation trooper. My body acted on it's own as I slammed the end of my staff into his stomach and then face. He reeled back in pain and surprise, and I wasted no time in swinging my staff like a bat. The wooden shaft shattered from the impact, sending splinters everywhere as he fell back into the snow.

Throwing the remains of the staff down, I drew my revolver and tomahawk. I had no time as the next soldier attacked, swinging his sword with the intent of taking my head. The blade hummed as it passed close enough I could feel the breeze off of it. I threw my shoulder outward, slamming into his chest. The momentum combined with the icy ground was enough to knock him off his feet and send him rolling down the mountainside.

I rightened myself just in time to catch a spear thrust in the tail of my coat. My body twisted away from the blade of the spear as the fabric of the jacket was torn. I grabbed hold of the shaft and twisted it out of it's owner's hands and away from him. In the same movement, I brought the tomahawk around and buried the blade into the side of his head.

Blood sprayed onto my face, and I blinked in shock. It was like getting hit with a blast of ice water, and I froze as the reality of the situation crashed down on me like an avalanche. Before, I'd always been able to say that I only wounded people with my arrows. Now, there was no denying it. I had just killed someone.

Katara's scream brought me out of the trance. I looked over to see her wrestling with a man several times her size over control of a spear. It was like a switch had been thrown, and suddenly I was on autopilot. Yanking the tomahawk free on the soldier's skull, I kicked his limp body back down the mountain.

The soldier attacking Katara got the upper hand at last and knocked her to the ground. He raised the weapon high over his head, intending to impale the young woman with no remorse whatsoever. I threw the tomahawk as I ran toward them. The weapon tumbled end over end before burying itself in his ribcage.

He let out a scream of pain and surprise just before I tackled him. Ripping the weapon free, I brought it down on his head twice, bringing his fight to a rather gruesome end. Standing upright again, I leveled the revolver at his charging comrades and opened fire, squeezing the trigger again and again until the hammer fell on an empty chamber with a click.

"Morgan?" Katara asked, her voice little more than a horrified whisper. I could barely hear her over the echoing thunder from the gun. I stuck the tomahawk back through my belt before holstering my now empty revolver.

"Bend, damnit!" I snapped as I drew my bow and nocked an arrow, "Fight!" The speed on which I drew back and fired my bow was like I was snapping a rubber band. My arrow flew true, hitting a soldier in the chest and knocking him off his feet like he had been clotheslined. I repeated the process, taking down another trooper and then another.

A tank came at us, it's turret hatch opening as it prepared to roast us. In a flash, Katara was by my side, thrusting her arms skyward. A plumb of ice erupted beneath the tank, knocking its treads off while trapping it's main body. In it's place came two more, advancing on us with the intent to burn. Aang landed in front of both of us, batting the fire blasts away with his airbending.

Not to be left out, Appa landed in front of the two tanks and with a roar, head butted them with enough force to roll them back down the mountain. They came to a halt, brightened themselves, and then started rolling toward us again.

"There's too many of them," Katara said, panting from the effort of the fight.

"Let's go, fall back!" I yelled before we scampered onto Appa. Aang cracked the reins and the sky bison jumped into the air, carrying us up and away from the danger. Now that we were in the air, it was clear just how hopeless our situation had actually been. It was three of us against an entire army with armor leading the charge. We could only buy time, nothing more.

"Where is Sokka with that war balloon?" Katara asked. I panted and realized that she was right. In the heat of battle, I had totally forgotten about what was suppose to be Sokka bringing in the cavalry to save the day. As if to answer her, a massive flame orange balloon appeared around the corner of the Temple. Sokka and the Mechanist could easily be seen tying off a few lines in the boat shaped basket that hung underneath.

As the bloat flew out over the advancing enemy, it began to drop it's ordinance. The slime bombs created massive streaks of green on the otherwise white mountainside. Several tanks became bogged down in the slime, becoming unable to move even in the slightest. It wasn't enough, as the remaining tanks and troopers went around their bogged down comrades and continued the advance.

It didn't matter if we had air power now or not. We were effectively out of ammunition, and could do little more now than yell insults at them as we swooped by like an annoying fly. I looked around, hoping and praying that a way out of this could be found. It was at that moment that I noticed Sokka was struggling against the main furnace that was powering the balloon.

"Sokka what are you doing?" I yelled across the gap between us.

"It's the only bomb we got left!" he replied as the furnace started to tip out of the basket. I frowned and toward the ground. Below us was a large crevice that led down into nothing but darkness. On the air was the waft of rotten eggs and in an instant I realized what he intended to do.

When we first started planning the defense of this place, Sokka and the Mechanist had come up with idea to stick a load of rotten eggs in the gas chambers located beneath the Temple. The idea was that you could follow the smell of the eggs and locate a gas leak. It was really a work of brilliance, if you didn't count the fact that Sokka was about to set those chambers off as a last resort, and quite possibly bring the whole Temple down in the process

"Sokka, NO!" I was too late as the furnace tumbled from the balloon. It landed on the edge of the crevice with a resounding clang, fell a short distance, before becoming hung up on a boulder. I couldn't help but face palm at the failure. The war balloon was now rapidly loosing altitude without it's fuel source, and they had nothing to show for it.

Aang jumped from Appa's head, snapping open his glider and diving after the balloon. I dug unto my pack and shuffled around for short bit before coming up with what I was looking for. The short, red stick that was an emergency road flare. Grabbing up some twine, I tied the flare off to the end of an arrow before nocking it and standing upright fully.

There were hundreds of innocent people in that Temple. Women, children, old, young. All of them would be slaughtered by the advancing army unless something was done. I knew that the Temple wouldn't be destroyed, I'd seen it in the show, I knew what to expect. But without the furnace to set it off, that power keg would just sit there and not do it's job.

Which was where I came in.

Grabbing up some rope, I tied it off around my waist before securing the other end to one of Appa's horn. Katara finally noticed what I was up to as I gave the line a few good tugs to make sure it was secure.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Saving our asses," I replied before leaning out over the side of the sky bison. Thanks to my safety line, I was more or less standing sideways off of Appa's side, staring down into the black gaping maw of the gas crevice below. With a single strike, the flare came to life in a shower of red sparks.

I drew the arrow back, took a breath and held it, before letting the arrow fly. The red light streaked downward into the darkness. Katara took the reins and guided Appa up and away, trying to get us to a safe distance. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, I saw a flash of orange as a wall of fire raced upward out of the crevice.

"Oh, son of a…"

BA BA BAWHOOOM!

When I say that the entire mountain top exploded, I mean the entire mountain top exploded. The blast cloud was enough that the Temple was obscured from view. I went deaf and half blind from being so close to the explosion. Appa grumbled as he angled upward and away, shaking his head to clear his vision.

As the smoke cleared, it became clear that the Temple had survived relatively unharmed. The same couldn't be said for the Fire Nation troops. A vast chunk of them had been vaporized in the blast, while the rest retreated down the mountain. Turning my body, I grabbed hold of the rope and pulled myself back into the saddle. Katara said something, but my ears were ringing so badly I couldn't hear her.

"What?" I asked, probably louder than I intended. She leaned in close to me so that her lips were right next to my ear.

"I said, you don't see that every day," she said. I shook my head and gave her a tired smile. No, you most certainly did not.

* * *

My hearing came back relatively quickly, which I was thankful for. The colonists were celebrating their victory, and rightfully so. They had just won against the most powerful military force on the planet. It was proof that no matter how bad things may have seemed, this war could still be won.

While the others celebrated, I sat a distance away, keeping to myself. Now that the heat of the moment was gone, I had time to reflect on what I had done. I could still see each soldier that I had killed as if they were standing right in front of me. As appalled as I was by my own actions, I couldn't let it effect me that much. Chances were I was going to find myself in situations like this again. I was going to need to be ready before that happened.

"Hey, we're getting ready to leave. Aang says we're about a day's flight from the coast, and from there it should be a short trip to the Northern Water Tribe," Katara said. I didn't answer, but rather just sat there and looked over my grandfather's metals.

"Morgan?"

"I'm sorry you had to see that," I said without looking up.

"What are you.."

"During the battle. I killed those men right in front of you," I elaborated.

"You were defending me," she said.

"Maybe," I said, not really sounding like I believed either of us. She came over and knelt in front of me, taking my hand in hers.

"Don't let this get to your head, Morgan. You did what you had to, nothing more, nothing less," she said. I squeezed her hand and gave her a small smile. Looking away from her bright blue eyes, I looked down the mountain, in the direction the war balloon had drifted. Any and all attempts I had made to try and convince people to go after it had been written off. The Mechanist had tried to pass off that the landing would utterly destroy it. I wasn't convinced in the slightest. The Fire Nation was creative, they'd figure it out if given enough time.

"This is only the beginning. We need to be ready. Aang needs to be ready," I said.

"We will be, Morgan," she reassured, "We'll make sure of it."

 **And cut. That's all for this chapter. I gotta say, when I started writing MO, this battle was one of the scenes I was looking forward too. Special shout out to Old Diggy for correctly guessing the translation of Morgan's name as well as taking a stab at it's meaning. Diggy, you get a cookie.**

 **On another matter, I have a request to make of you, dear readers. If anyone who has any sort of artistic ability would like to take a stab at drawing some concept art for Morgan, I'd be more than grateful. Just find a way to contact me and we can go from there.**

 **So, by now you guys know the drill. Drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you guys liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. This one is kind of a filler, but it sets up the main arc I have planned covering the whole Northern Water Tribe bit. So, without further delay, let's dive into it.**

Cold. No amount of snowy mountain Montana winters could prepare me for just how cold the Northern Polar ice fields could be. It was a different kind of cold to be honest. There was no escape from it, and it sunk down deep into your bones no matter how much warm clothing you had on. By the second day of straight flying, I was promptly shivering in my boots.

The siblings and Aang didn't seem as effected by the cold as I was. Given that Sokka and Katara grew up in this type of environment and Aang was such a ball of energy it wasn't really surprising. What was effecting them was the lack of sleep. Being cooped up on the saddle for this long had everyone ready to rip each other apart.

Well, when I say that, I really mean that Aang and Sokka were ready to go at it, while Katara was trying to keep the peace between the two. Me, I was focused on trying to stay warm and not get frostbite. In fact, we were so focused inward that none of us saw the sudden spike of ice that came from the sea.

Appa smashed into the ice and was sent into a flat tailspin before smashing down into the water. As I sat up, I realized that we were surrounded by boats, all of them full of men wearing blue uniforms.

"Look at that, we found 'em," I said through chattering teeth as I got up with my hands raised in surrender. The warriors in question looked at us like they didn't quite know what to make of us. I simply gave them the best smile I could and tried to force myself to stop shivering.

"Hi, how are ya?"

* * *

The Northern Water Tribe was a massive city carved out of a polar ice shelf. What I remember seeing in the show didn't even come close to doing the real thing justice. It was easily the biggest settlement I had seen since getting here. Not even the ruins of Taku were as big as this place. Everywhere you looked, you could see the influence the bending art had. Waterbending controlled gates and locks. Canals twisted all over the place, equaling in number or even surpassing actual streets.

Overall, the place looked like a huge amount of Asian and Inuit people got together and built Venice out of ice. Even against the cold I was highly impressed by what I saw. This wasn't just a tribe, it was a flourishing city, thriving up here on the top of the world.

Appa swam through the canals, guided by a single boat. Everywhere we went, people appeared to wave at us. Maybe we were the first outsiders in a long time to visit, or maybe it was Aang's status as the Avatar. Either way, it seemed like the entire city had it's eyes on us.

"This place is beautiful," Katara said in awe.

"Yeah, she is," Sokka said in a dreamy voice, which caused me to frown and look where he was looking. There was another boat that had passed us, heading in the opposite direction. Aside from the person steering the boat, the only passenger was a single girl about my age. She had striking blue eyes, snow white hair, and an aloofness that just screamed royalty.

I blinked and rubbed my eyes as I tried to look at her. For some reason, just looking at her made my eyes ache. She just seemed…bright, like I trying to look at the sun through thin clouds for too long on a gray day. Sitting back in the saddle, I rubbed my eyes again. If Sokka wanted her, he could have her, I wasn't going to stand in his way.

We were taken to the Palace and introduced to the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, a big man by the name of Arnook. For being the leader of such a large collection of people, he was a surprisingly down to earth man, exactly like you'd expect a Chief to be. That evening, a feast was held in the Palace.

Turns out that there were four reasons to celebrate. Sokka and Katara was the first contact they'd had with their sister tribe in several decades, Aang was the Avatar, the Chief's daughter was turning sixteen, and there was some up and coming warrior being formally inducted into the Tribe. Said warrior caught my interest the second I laid eyes on him.

Here's the thing, the warrior, a guy in his early twenties by the name of Kai, stood out amongst the rest of the Water Tribe. He was as pale as the ice and snow that made up the landscape around us. His hair was a bright, brilliant shade of copper like that of a brand new penny, which was pulled back into a wolf's tale, and his eyes were a piercing shade of jade green that could make you squirm with a single glance.

Normally I wouldn't have given this guy a second look. But his appearance alone was enough to make him stand out to me. For starters, I had no recollection of him in the series. Granted I didn't remember much of this time frame at all, but I defiantly didn't remember him being there. The other thing was his actual physical appearance. Sure, he was much more scrawny than his fellow warriors, but he still looked like he could take both Sokka and I at the same time without breaking a sweat. But it was his hair that really caught my attention.

You see, ever since I had arrived here, I'd seen a consistent range of hair color. Usually it was jet black to an auburn color, with silver, gray, and white on the older individuals I'd encountered. But never blonde or this shade of red. Combine that with his skin tone, and it was obvious that Kai was adopted. With my curiosity peaked, I made it a note to learn more about this guy.

The Chief's daughter, the white haired girl we'd passed earlier in fact, was called Yue. Sokka was head over heels for her in an instant, although to his credit he didn't turn into a complete bumbling idiot when he started trying to make a move on her. With me being seated right next to them, I got every word of their conversation, even though I didn't want to be in the slightest.

I sat there, picking at my food and watching as a white haired waterbending master named Pakku and two of his students put on a performance. Everyone else was in high spirits for one reason or another. Me, not so much. I may not have remembered a whole lot about this part of the series, but I did remember Yue, and what was to become her fate. It took a great amount of willpower not to try and warn them about what was to come. Her life was needed in order to save the Moon Spirit. Without the moon, there was no telling what kind of chaos would befall the world.

So with a heavy heart and unhappy attitude, I settled in and resigned to keep my mouth shut. In an effort to keep myself from going mad with depression, I turned my thoughts to matters which effected me a little more closely. Namely, the Tribe's stance on me and my presence here. Instantly, I went from depressed to sulking. Katara took a break from teasing her brother about his attempts to flirt with Yue long enough to notice my sullen mood.

"Morgan, you okay?" she asked.

"Peachy," I replied as I stabbed a sea slung with a chopstick. She looked between me and slug with her eyebrow raised.

"You don't seem fine," she said.

"Oh, trust me, you'll get how I'm feeling real soon," I said. Katara gave me a frown.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Just trust me, you'll see," I answered before leaving it at that with another stab. Why was I so upset? You see, Sokka and Katara were considered to be brother and sister to the Tribe, and Aang was the Avatar, but me, I was a 'guest'. That meant that while I was allowed food, lodging, and was able to come and go as I pleased, I wasn't allowed to do any kind of waterbending or combat training.

In short, I had just come half way around the world, only to be told no and have the door slammed in my face simply because I wasn't Water Tribe. I could have passed for being a member too, if it wasn't for Katara's big mouth telling them I was from the Earth Kingdom. To say I was pissed off would have been the understatement of the decade. Katara would know how I felt once she found out about how the Northerners felt about women waterbending. I just wasn't going to spoil the surprise.

All throughout the feast, I kept getting this look from Kai that I couldn't quite place. It was like he found me to be just as much of an enigma as I found him, while at the same time wanting to spear me like I was a baby seal. I just did my best to ignore him and let the night wear on.

The following morning brought with it the first time I'd had actual down time in weeks. Katara and Aang were off to see Pakku, and Sokka was out chasing Yue. With us being in the safety of the Northern Water Tribe now, there was no need to go hunting in order to restock our supplies. Other than practice my bending on my own I had nothing to do, and frankly I found it to be boring rather fast.

So I set out, heading back to the palace in order to plead my case with the Chief. I found said man in the Palace, dealing with the day to day management of the Tribe. He was standing over a table, reading some scrolls. Kai was standing a short distance away with his hands clasped behind his back and his face stoic as he scanned the room around us.

"Excuse me, Chief, can I have a moment?" I asked, putting my polite foot forward. Arnook looked up from his work and took stock of me.

"Ah, Morgan. How is your stay with us going?"

"To be honest, sir, that's why I'm here. I wanted to get your permission to train," I said. He frowned as he went back to the scrolls.

"We do not train outsiders, Morgan, it goes against our ways," he said.

"Then how do I not be an outsider anymore?" I asked. The Chief looked up at me again with a puzzled expression.

"Come again?" he asked, apparently not having heard me.

"He managed to get inducted into the Tribe and trained," I said with a motion toward Kai, "How do I do that?"

"I'm not sure you would be up to such a task," he warned hesitantly.

"I've been the hunter/gatherer for the Avatar for the past several months, and I fought the Fire Nation at the Northern Air Temple. The least you could do is tell me what the task is," I said. Arnook looked conflicted for a while, and I began to fear that I wasn't going to get my chance.

"The great wolves that roam the tundra have long been considered sacred to our people. If you can track one down, and return with it's pelt, that shall be your right of passage," he finally said.

"So hunt down a wolf, kill it, and bring it's pelt back. Is there anything else?" I asked, making sure that I had all the details down.

"These beasts are the size of a fully grown man. If I were you, I would consult Kai on how best to achieve your task. He will guide you so that you can come back alive," Arnook said. I thanked the Chief for his time before focusing on Kai.

"I'm told you know how to kill wolves," I said to him, finally breaking the ice between the two of us.

"Perhaps. Who want's to know?" he asked.

"I do. Jacob Wood, but everyone just calls me Morgan." Kai gave me a wary look as he shook my extended hand.

"Kai," he said, "we'll talk more when my shift ends." Turns out, I didn't have to wait long for his shift to end. I had an even shorter wait to get his answer.

"No."

"No? What do you mean 'no'?" I demanded as I followed him down the front of the Palace.

"Why should I help you?" he asked without stopping or turning around.

"Cause the Chief said so? Cause I asked nicely?" I put forward.

"And you think asking nicely will always get you what you want? You have a very naïve view of the world, Morgan Wood," he said.

"Okay, and the first point of the Chief saying so?"

"Chief Arnook suggested that you come to me for help in your task. He never said that I actually had to agree," he replied. I let out a frustrated sigh.

"So you're not going to help me."

"It took me thirteen years to get to where I am now, kid. Why should I help you do that in a couple of days with little to no effort?" he asked.

"Look, I don't care about the whole joining the Water Tribe thing, alright? I need this training in order to survive out there," I stressed. Kai came to a halt and turned to face me.

"And there's the crux of it. You came into this role by luck, while I've been preparing for it for over a decade. So I'll ask you again, why should I help you?" he asked. My eyes went wide before they narrowed again. This guy knew something, a lot more than he let on, I was sure of it.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I already told you…" he started, but I held up a hand.

"No, I mean who are you really? I didn't mention anything about a role, in fact, I never once told you why I needed this beyond survival. So I'll ask again, who are you?" Now Kai looked nervous, like I had just caught him in the headlights.

"You said you'd been preparing for over a decade for a role. What were you waiting on?" I pressed. Again, he didn't answer or meet my gaze. But by now, I was on a roll, and I was starting to put things together.

"You knew Aang would come back," I said, this time as a statement rather than a question. I had him, and I know this because at that moment he threw his elbow into my gut and took off at a sprint while I was doubled over in pain and surprise. Rage replaced pain as I snarled and ran after him. I was going to get answers, only now I was going to do it with the added bonus of kicking his ass.

Kai was quick, light on his feet, and he knew the layout of the city as well. It didn't help that he was also adapt to the frigid conditions, and was using the slick ice to his advantage rather than his hindrance. I on the other hand, hit a patch of ice and slid into wall. Luckily I managed to keep from falling onto my backside and continued the chase.

It was only when he ducked into an alleyway that I remembered that I was a waterbender in a city made almost entirely from ice. Throwing up my arms, I raised a wall of ice in front of Kai, blocking his escape. The warrior slid to a halt, eyeing the newly formed wall before turning to face me.

"Enough of this running crap," I panted as I tried to catch my breath.

"Gotta work on your cardio, kid," he replied before thrusting his fist out at me. I barely had time to react as a fireball was suddenly sailing at my head. I threw my hand up, just barely forming a smaller wall of ice to block the incoming attack. It didn't do much, as the fireball flash steamed half of my ice. A second blast broke down the wall entirely, and knocked me flat on my back in the process.

As I sat up in preparation to try and defend myself, I watched as Kai melted the wall I had made to trap him and take off again. I'd been prepared for a fight, I'd even been prepared for the possibility that Kai might have been a waterbender or possibly an earthbender. But a firebender was something out of left field that I hadn't counted on. I wasn't about to make that same mistake twice.

Running down Kai was starting to be more of a pain in the ass than it was worth. The fact that he knew way more than he let on, and that he was a firebender to boot was why I kept on him. It was when he rounded into another alley that I decided to try something else. Reaching out my hand, I melted some ice and reformed it into the shape of a spike before throwing it at Kai. It grazed his side, being enough to cut into him and force him off balance.

Before he could recover, I tackled him, taking care to freeze his hands and knees into place once I had him on the ground. The ice wasn't fully formed before steam was already rolling off of it, indicating that he was trying to melt his way out. I drew my revolver and pressed the muscle into the middle of his forehead.

"Ah, ah, none of that. Unless you want me to turn your head into a canoe," I threatened, thumbing the hammer for dramatic effect. Kai let out a frustrated sigh, but the steam did stop. I sat up a little, using my body weight to keep the parts of him that weren't frozen pinned to the ground.

"You gonna talk like a civilized person with me, or are we going to do this in a less kind fashion?" I asked.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"Ten years, you said. And a firebender to boot. Why here?" I asked.

"Because this was the only place I knew for sure the Avatar would turn up," he answered.

"And how, exactly, did you know that?" I asked.

"The same reason you're here, Morgan. I watched the show," he said.

"What show?"

"Don't insult my intelligence, kid. You're not from this world, same as me," he said.

"And what makes you say that?" I asked.

"You mean besides the hand cannon you got pressed into my forehead?" he asked, going cross eyed for a moment to look at the revolver.

"Okay, I'll give you that one. So you set up here, hoping to run into the Avatar, is that right, Kai?" I asked.

"Well, for starters, my name isn't Kai."

"Imagine my shock," I said with annoyance.

"It's Kate." I froze, not sure if I heard right.

"Come again?"

"I said, my real name is Kate. And I've been here for thirteen years." I sat up right fully and slowly eased the hammer forward on my revolver.

"Well. Shit."

* * *

There were a lot of emotions running through my head as I listened to Kai, or Kate, tell her story. Shock was one of the primary ones. I was also bubbling with excitement, although I worked hard to keep that on the down low. Aside from Grandma Wendy, I had yet to encounter anyone else from my world. It had gotten to the point that I was willing to accept that I was probably well and truly on my own. Kate changed all that, and flipped what I thought I knew on it's head.

"Hold still, alright? This isn't as easy as it looks," I said as I held a blob of water to her side. We were back in the lodging the Tribe had provided the others and I with. Kate was currently sitting on a chair with her shirt off. Her hair was down, which when combined with the white wrappings that tightly bound her chest made it much more obvious that she was a young woman pretending to be a man.

"It just feels weird," she replied. I rolled my eyes, but otherwise kept my attention focused on my work. Despite being a hormonal teenager being in close proximity to a female without a shirt on, I was able to control my more basic urges and do the task that was set to me. It was my fault she had the cut anyway, might as well make it up to her and heal it.

"So…how did you..?" she started awkwardly, not quite sure how to ask what she wanted to know.

"Die?" I supplied for her.

"I was going to say 'get here'," she answered.

"Died," I said simply, as if I was telling her what day of the week it was.

"I know that, I mean how?" she asked, a more short this time.

"Went over a waterfall on a hunting trip, you?"

"Car accident. We t-boned a truck and I went through the windshield," she replied.

"Ouch," I said.

"Yeah, you're telling me. One minute I'm singing along to the radio, and the next I'm in the Fire Nation colonies, patting my face to see if all the flesh didn't just get scrapped off on the pavement," she said. I shuttered at that mental image.

"So what's the deal? Is this some kind of dumping ground for people who die before their time?" I asked as I bent the blob of water away in order to look at my work. It wasn't the greatest, as there was still an angry red line along her ribs, but it was better than the gushing wound she'd had earlier.

"Not really. From what I've been able to gather, there's only one or two of us that pop up every generation in the entire world. We're given a second chance here, to live out lives we never got a chance to have," she said as she began to put her shirt back on.

"What makes us so special?

"I think it's more of a blind luck of the draw, if you want me to be honest."

"Hm, that's convenient," I muttered as I returned the water to a bowl and started drying my hands.

"So, where are you from, originally?" she asked as she pulled her hair back up into the wolf tail it had formally been in.

"Montana," I answered.

"Oh! I always wanted to go there! I hear the mountains are beautiful in the winter," she said. I looked over my gear with a pang of homesickness in my heart.

"They were beautiful year 'round," I said a little distantly. Kate must have noticed the change in my tone, cause she gave me a look of concern.

"How long have you been here, Morgan?" she asked. I thought over her question, reviewing the amount of time that had passed since I had first trudged my way out of that swamp.

"Four, five months maybe? It's kind of hard to keep track, being on the road all the time," I answered.

"So, it's all still fresh for you," she said. I flinched as the memory of being impaled on those rocks at the bottom of the falls flashed through my mind.

"Relatively so."

"And you're how old?"

"Isn't it rude to ask someone their age?"

"It is if you ask me, not the other way around," she answered with a smirk. I went silent as I thought over her question again.

"Sixteen, seventeen? The way they keep track of time here is so screwy I can't tell," I answered. It was true. Years, months, days of the week even, none of it was like how it was done back home. I'd found it easier to just live day to day and not put too much worry into that stuff.

"I was ten when I first got here," she said in a quiet voice. I took a seat in a chair as I considered what all she was saying implied. Dying at such a young age, much less having to make it on your own, I couldn't fathom such a thing. Then I did the math in my head.

"So that makes you twenty three, right?" I asked. She cocked her eyebrow at me.

"Rude, asking a lady their age," she said.

"You've spent the last handful of years pretending to be a man so you could join one of the world's male only military organizations. You may be many things, but lady sure as hell isn't one of them," I replied coarsely. Kate simply gave me a grin.

"You're right on that part. Yes, I'm twenty three."

"And a firebender to boot," I added.

"Is that a problem?"

"If it was I would have let you bleed," I said dryly.

"I suppose that's true," she said. I took a breath in through my nose and decided to ask the question that had been burning on my tongue.

"Why won't you help me track down a wolf?" I finally asked. Kate was quiet for a long, long time. She looked conflicted, confused even as she sat there and pondered my question.

"I have a counter offer for you," she finally said. I cocked my eyebrow.

"I'm listening."

"I'll train you in hand to hand. That way you don't have to go out into the tundra and put your life at risk. Any waterbending you want to learn can be taught to you by Katara at a later date," she said. It sounded tempting to say the least. But I knew well enough from experience that everything had a price.

"And what do you want in return?" I asked.

"I want you to take me with you when Aang's group leaves for the Earth Kingdom," she answered.

"I'm not sure if I can actually make that happen. Ultimately that's Aang's choice, not mine," I said with a frown.

"That's what I've been training for all this time, Morgan, same as you," she said. I remained quiet as I pondered her offer. On the one hand, the training would be an invaluable thing to have. That, along with a firebender in the group, assuming Zuko wouldn't change his mind would also be valuable.

"Look. I make no promises, but I'll talk to the others. I can be convincing when I need to be," I said.

"That's all I ask. I'll see you tomorrow at first light for training," she said before putting on her coat and showing herself out. I was left sitting in my chair staring at the wall, wondering how much of the world I had just changed by making that deal.

"Oh the times, they are a'changin'," I said to myself.

 **And cut. Like I said, kind of a filler, but a lot of set up. I plan on doing a whole subplot with Morgan while they're in the North, cause let's face it, if it stuck to the canon story line he'd be sitting on his rear the entire time until the Fire Navy showed up. So what did you guys think? Let me know. Drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you guys liked or didn't like and I'll see you all next time.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. The first of the new year. Woo! Now, on with the story:**

Snow blew on the wind, whipping against my jacket as I tightened my fingers against the draw string of my bow. The cold gray of the tundra made it almost impossible to tell if it was day or night. Just snow, as far as the eye could see. I heard it being carried on the wind. At first, I thought it was an echo from the cave behind me. But then, I heard it again, much more clearly and coming from ahead of me. The lone noise which chilled my blood even more than the driving ice.

A single cry of a wolf.

Widening my stance, I raised my bow a little and starred hard at what I could see around me. I saw nothing but shifting snow and drifts in the gray and gloom. Until, suddenly, it appeared. A white wolf, bigger than any dog I had ever seen before, melted out of the snow and regarded me with hungry yellow eyes. The beast was massive, easily the size of a horse. On it's side, mixed in with it's white fur was a streak of red, and a single arrow which jutted outward like a lone tree branch. It barred it's fangs at me in a hungry snarl as it began to circle around me.

As it moved, I held my ground, never once breaking eye contact. I held my shivering both from the cold and from fear at bay. One false move, one wrong twitch on my part, and this thing would tear me to shreds without much of an effort. Instinct screamed at me to run. Logic told me to run. Hell, I was telling MYSELF to run.

But I didn't.

Instead I stood my ground, arrow at the ready, prepared to meet claw and fang with steel in a bitter fight to the death. This was our last chance, both Kate's and mine. If I failed here, our story was over. We'd freeze to death out here in the wasteland, or die to roving predators like this one. I couldn't do that to her, and I hadn't come this far only for it to end now.

The wolf lowered its forward paws and tensed it's legs. It's snarl grew larger, and saliva was visibly carried off of it's gleaming fangs by the wind. I drew the arrow back and lined up my shot, staring into those yellow eyes and refusing to flinch.

"Come on, you overgrown flea bag," I said, issuing my challenge. The wolf let out a bark before it pounced, and I let my arrow fly.

…I'm getting a little ahead of myself, aren't I?

 ** _Three days earlier_**.

"Come on, keep your guard up!" Kate yelled as she brought a war club down against the shield I was using. The wood and hide covered disk bore the brunt of the strike with a crack, but the impact still left me reeling and my arm virtually useless. I shook the thing loose and tossed it at her like a large Frisbee. She ducked underneath the flying disk, and met the downward swing of my tomahawk with her club, locking the two weapons together.

"You're getting better," she grunted, fighting back against my strength as I struggled to overpower her. I didn't answer, but pressed harder against her. At first, it looked like she would give in. But then, she gave in and side stepped me, allowing gravity to carry me forward in an awkward stumble. Before I could recover, she slammed into my back, forcing me face down into the snow and planting her club firmly into the back of my neck.

"But you still have a little ways to go," she added before letting me up. I raised my head and spat snow out of my mouth before pushing myself to my feet. This was how things had been for about a week now, with Kate and I spending a good portion of our evenings training in secret. It was like sneaking out for a secret romance, only we were beating the crap out of each other on a nightly bases rather than making out. When she finally called it a night, I headed back to our quarters, or to be more accurate, stumbled back.

Walking in, I found the other three all laying sprawled out on their sleeping mats. All of them were upset for various reasons, and overall the room had a gloomy mood to it.

"You guys look like how I feel," I said before collapsing face first on a pile of furs that I called a bed.

"Master poop head won't teach Katara cause she's a girl," Aang reported.

"I warned you," I replied without raising my head.

"What do you…oh, right, banned from training," Katara said.

"Thanks to someone not being able to keep their mouth shut," I said, raising my head long enough to glare at her.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. I blinked before lowering my head again.

"What about you, oh great water prince? What's got you in a tizzy?" I asked.

"Warrior training going bad?" Katara asked.

"No, it's Princess Yue. I don't get it, one minute she wants to go out with me, and the next she's telling me to get lost," he said.

"You two seemed to hit it off at the feast," Aang pointed out.

"Yeah, but now…" Sokka trailed off, raising his arms in a confused shrug.

"Have you considered she might be engaged?" I asked, my voice slightly muffled. The others gave me a look of confusion.

"What gave you that idea?" Katara asked.

"That was one of the reasons the feast was held, and marriage here in the North is arranged. Odds are, she's got a necklace hidden under her collar," I said. Granted I had the knowledge from the show, but it also made sense logically. Yue, from what I had seen of her, had shown a lot of interest in Sokka. Which meant her behavior was for one of two reasons. Either she was leading him on, which I found unlikely, or she was engaged in an arranged marriage.

"That makes sense," Sokka admitted after some thought. I gave him a thumbs up before I went back to face planting the fur.

"Well, that takes care of Sokka's problem, but we still have the waterbending problem," Aang said. After a few heartbeats of silence, Sokka stated the obvious.

"Why don't you just train them, Aang?" he asked.

"Why didn't I think of that? At night, you can teach Morgan and I what you learned during the day. That way, you have someone to practice with and we can learn waterbending. Everyone is happy," Katara said.

"I'm not happy," Sokka said.

"You're never happy. Come on, let's go," Katara replied, directing the last part at Aang and I. With a groan, I pushed myself to my feet and went after them.

"This is going to end badly," I muttered as I followed them out of the hut.

* * *

As I'm sure you've guessed by now, I hate it when I'm right. Surprise, surprise, imagine my shock, guess what; I was right again. Pakku caught us almost immediately after Aang started trying to teach us. He cast Aang out as his pupil on the spot, which was how we found ourselves standing before Chief Arnook the next morning, begging the Chief to make Pakku take Aang back.

Well, Katara and Aang were, anyway. I wasn't about to lower myself to groveling when the threat of the Fire Nation grew by the day. So I stood off to the side, arms folded as I watched this fiasco unfold. Kate was standing a short distance behind the Chief, watching as well.

"What do you expect me to do? Force Master Pakku to take Aang back as his student?" the Chief asked.

"Uh, yeah? Fate of the world kind of depends on it. As Chief I would think that would a valid reason for forcing," I answered. It wasn't until all of the eyes that were present landed on me that I realized that I had spoken out loud. Arnook narrowed his eyes at me. Kate seemed to have paled even more so than usual.

"Mr. Wood, it would be best if you remember your place and keep from speaking out of turn. You have already violated our customs by seeking out waterbending training when you were forbidden to, I would suggest that you do your best not to anger me further," he said. I took a hot breath, but clamped my mouth shut. With that, he returned his attention to Katara and Aang.

"Perhaps Master Pakku will take Aang back if you swallow your pride and apologies," he suggested. Katara looked up at the old man, who was sitting with a smug look on his face. Somehow, she managed to do what the Chief suggested, and let out an irritated sigh.

"Fine," she relented.

"I'm waiting, little girl," Pakku said with one of the most arrogant tones I had ever heard. I don't know what it was. Maybe it was the weeks of stress bearing down on me, maybe it was the frustration, but for whatever reason, the waterbending master's tone was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Oh FUCK NO!" I yelled before I stalked forward, placing myself between my friends and the others.

"Do you idiots have any idea AT ALL what's on the line here? Any clue? At All? The Fire Nation is coming. In FULL FORCE, right now. Every single one of us stands to be wiped from existence, and you shitheels are worried about TRADITION? ARE YOU SHITTING ME RIGHT NOW?!" I asked, my voice rising as I spoke.

"Um, Morgan…" Aang started. Behind Arnook, Kate looked like she was about to be sick. The Chief himself had a fiery anger rising in his eyes.

"You dare speak ill of our traditions and make a mockery of us?!"

"I'm trying to pull your collective heads from your asses and save you from extinction!" I yelled. "Not even the might of the Earth King's armies can withstand a full assault from the Fire Nation, what makes you think you can survive against that with what you have now?! What you should be doing is taking every volunteer you can get, man or woman, and throwing as much training at them as you can while you still have a chance!"

"Do not presume to give us orders, boy!" Pakku yelled as jumped to his feet, "Our culture has withstood the test of time AND this war! We shall outlast them!" I drew my tomahawk and slammed it into the ice floor in a blind rage. The ice cracked outward in all directions, thanks mainly to my bending being fuled by my anger.

"YOU WILL BE DESTROYED!" I yelled back, my words echoing off the halls of the palace around us. A deadly silence fell over us all, and I struggled to get my anger back under control. It partially worked, but my breathing was still heavy. The rage of the Chief, however, was just beginning.

"You have disrespected myself, my culture, and my tribe for the last time. Jacob Wood, by the power vested in me as Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, I hereby banish you. Leave this city, and never return!" he ordered. Behind me, Aang and Katara let out shocked gasps, while Kate looked like she had just been told her puppy had been stolen. I looked between Arnook and Pakku for a moment before I yanked my tomahawk free of the ice and started toward the palace doors.

"Just one thing," I said before I stepped out, looking back at them, "when the ash falls from the sky like snow, and your children scream in the streets, just remember this; I. WAS. RIGHT." With that, I walked out of the palace doors, not likely to set foot in the place ever again.

* * *

You know, looking back on it, the whole thing of being banished to wander a frozen polar wasteland should have registered much higher on the worry scale. I think it was because the reality of the situation hadn't set in yet. To Hell with it all, I was done with the Water Tribe for a good long while. It wasn't until I was back in our quarters, packing up my few possessions did the reality of the situation finally click.

"Oh my God, I'm a moron," I said, taking a step back and putting my hands on top of my head.

"Not what I would have called you, but it's a start," came Kate's voice from the doorway. I looked to where she was standing. Her hair was up and she was still in her jacket, so she still looked like the warrior persona she had adopted. However, she also had a large duffle bag draped over her shoulder.

"Come to see me off?" I asked as I did a quick review over what I had and what I was going to need in order to survive.

"Actually I'm going with you," she said. That made me stop and look at her fully. On my own, I at least stood a chance of getting a seaworthy craft of some kind and somehow making it back to the Earth Kingdom. Or, I would last about a week out in the tundra before finally freezing to death. Either way, it was on my own and not putting anyone else at risk.

"Um, what?"

"I said, I'm going with you," she repeated.

"Let me see if I got this right; you are willingly going with me into banishment into a frozen tundra with little to no chance of survival," I said. Kate rolled her eyes.

"No, idiot. I'm going with you because I've been trained to survive out there. You've been shivering like a frozen baby ever since you got here, what makes you think you'll last longer than a day out on the tundra?" she asked.

"I don't know. I'm just tired of this place and all it's crap, alright? They're too blinded by tradition to see what needs to be done," I said gesturing toward the door in the process.

"Hey, I'm the girl pretending to be a guy here, remember? I've been around a while, I get it. But I also may have something that can unfuck yourself from this situation," she offered. I frowned at her. Kate almost never used profanity, so that's what held my attention. Whatever she had in mind, she was dead serious about.

"How so?" I asked.

"You're going to take the wolf trial a step further, and bring one back alive," she answered. I must have looked like an owl as I regarded her, blinking slowly as I stared at her wide eyed like I was.

"Come again?"

"The wolves are sacred to the Tribe, and the only thing greater than proving your worth by killing one is to capture or even tame one," she explained. I held up my hands, gesturing that I wanted her to hold up for a second.

"Okay, putting aside the fact that you want me to tame a killing machine the size of a horse for a moment. Why help me at all? You're risking your position and your life, going out into that snow with me," I said. Kate looked away from me and down at her feet.

"You are the first thing I've had of home in a very long time. I'm not going to stand by and watch you die over something so stupid, especially when it's over something I agree with you on," she said.

"I…thank you," I said, a little stunned.

"Don't thank me yet. We still got a frozen wasteland to facedown." The sound of the hut's door opening caught our attention. Katara came in, followed closely by Aang and Sokka, the former of which looked much more upset than the last time I had seen her.

"What are you thinking?!" she screeched as she crossed to me.

"Uh, 'why is she pissed at me' in a nutshell?" I put forward. Katara looked like she was going to freeze me in a block of ice.

"You just had to go and mouth off to the Chief, didn't you? Do you have a death wish?" she asked.

"Not particularly," I answered.

"Than, why, WHY, did you have to go and get yourself banished?!" she asked.

"Cause they were being morons? Cause they were treating you like crap? Cause I'm sick and tired of being so fricken' cold all the time? Take your pick," I answered, annoyed.

"You're going to be a lot colder out there in the ice fields!" she yelled, pointing in the general direction of the tundra.

"Yeah, that fact might not have occurred to me until after I got back here and started packing," I admitted, rubbing the back of my head. Katara's eyes bugged out of her head, and for a moment she had her hands raised like she was going to clasp them around my throat and strangle me.

"I…You…Agh! I can't talk to you right now!" she snapped before storming off into the other room. We all watched her go before I focused my attention on the remaining two.

"What did I miss?" I asked, pointing after her.

"Oh, she fought Master Pakku, lost, and turns out Pakku was engaged to their grandma a long time ago. Now he's agreed to teach both Katara and I," Aang said. It took a moment for me to register everything he had just said. He explained it as if he was describing a dull stroll down the street, not something that could potentially change the very culture of the Water Tribe.

"Huh," was all I could say. Sokka came forward and put his hand on my shoulder. He looked a lot more somber than the others.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked. My frown returned as I regarded him. In the months since our last big spat, we'd more or less made up, but we were still distant from each other. If he wanted to actually talk to me, it had to be important. I gave a simple nod, and motioned toward a different room than where Katara had gone.

The two of us stepped into the room, away from Kate and Aang. A pelt was really the only thing that made up a door, so we were forced to keep our voices low in order to have some privacy.

"Is this the part where you give me grief for getting myself into this situation?" I asked. To my surprise, Sokka shook his head.

"No. Actually out of all of us, I think you have the best chance of surviving out there. All those months on the road, all those times you wandered off, you always found your way back. I don't see any reason why you can't do it again," he said. I blinked in surprise at that. We rarely ever gave each other complements like that, or at all really.

"Then, what's up?" I asked.

"There's something I need to know. Katara, she said something about you. She said you told her the name you had in your tribe," Sokka said.

"Yeah. Ksikk-Makoyi, White Wolf. What about it?" I asked, confused.

"Nothing, really. Just some old superstitions," he said, waving it off. I gave him a pointed look.

"Sokka. It freaked Katara out enough when I told her that she had to run off and find you. What aren't you telling me?" Sokka looked conflicted for a moment before he took a breath.

"Back home we were told stories when we were growing up. Stories about a legendary warrior called the White Wolf. Someone who would bring the tribes together and vanquish all their foes. After he died, it was foretold that he would return during a time of great trouble and save the people," he said.

"And do I look like some kind of messiah?" I asked, holding my arms out as if to offer a hug.

"Messiah?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow.

"Savior," I clarified, "Come on, Sokka, I'm a hunter for crying out loud, not a great warrior."

"Warrior and hunter mean the same thing in our tribe," he said.

"Do I look like someone who's come to save a whole people?" I asked, trying to stress just how ridiculous I found the whole thing.

"Aang," he deadpanned, folding his arms. Crap, he had me there. I was in a world that loved to turn things on it's head. Aang was a goofball kid, yet a virtual god incarnate in terms of untapped power. Hell, Toph was arguably the greatest earthbender alive, and she probably only came up to my chest in terms of height. Maybe. Hell I didn't know. We weren't suppose to meet her until sometime in the spring.

"Okay, point taken. But I'm not some savior, hero person. I'm just a guy with a bow and arrow, that's it," I stressed.

"I'm not saying you are. If you ask me, it's all a bunch of nonsense. But people believe in stuff like that when times are hard. Katara believes it, others will too if they're shown enough proof. What I'm getting at is; keep your name to yourself, unless you want a lot of unwanted attention," he warned.

"I don't plan to. Not exactly something that comes up in normal conversation, you know," I reassured him. With that, we returned to the main room, where Kate and I set to finish packing. Both Aang and Sokka just kind of hung out off to the side, watching us work.

I'd explained to them that Kate, or Kai as they knew her, was going along as a volunteer. At first, they wanted to come along as well. But I reminded them that they were needed here, and if things went right we'd only be gone a week at that most. Reluctantly, they agreed to stay behind. When the time finally came to leave, the only person I hadn't seen was Katara.

I slowly stuck my head into the room where she had hidden herself, ready to duck away if she decided to throw something at me. I found her sitting on the edge of a small seat, her arms wrapped around herself as she sniffed and struggled to keep her tears from flowing. Seeing her like this broke my heart.

"Katara?" I asked, making my presence known.

"What do you want?" she asked without turning to face me.

"It's time. I'm heading out," I said.

"Good luck, don't freeze out there," she said shortly.

"It's already cold in here," I muttered.

"Well, what did you expect, Morgan?" she asked, finally turning to look at me. Her eyes were puffy from having cried already, with more tears threatening to escape.

"Why are you so upset? I'll be back in a few days, nothing out of the usual," I said.

"That's just it, isn't it? It's always a few days, you're always running off, doing something, leaving me here to wonder if you're ever going to come back," she said, hopping to her feet. I put both of my hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her blue eyes.

"Katara, I promise, I'm coming back," I said. To my utter shock, she reached up, grabbed both sides of my head, and kissed me. After a brief moment, she broke it off and leaned back before looking at me with a hard glare.

"Make sure that you do."

* * *

The wide emptiness of the tundra was a little daunting when I first looked out on it. A sheet of white snow and ice under a dark gray sky, stretching as far as the eye could see. Both Kate and I briefly paused, looking at each other before looking out over the landscape.

"There it is," the redhead said. I pulled a scarf up and over my nose and mouth, and took a breath. The cold air stung my throat and lungs, and yet at the same time seemed to make me feel more alive. It was actually beautiful, in a frigid sort of way.

But, my thoughts weren't in the here and now where they should have been. They were with a certain blue eyed young woman I had left behind. I couldn't believe it. Katara liked me, and not just as a friend, or even a good friend at that, no she full on liked me liked me. As much as I hate that phrase, I can't think of any other way to describe it.

Part of me was absolutely thrilled at the idea. Katara was beautiful, intelligent, and not afraid to go after what she wanted. Under normal circumstances, she would have easily fit what I considered for girlfriend material. The problem was, none of this was normal. For starters, there was Aang. Katara was suppose to wind up with Aang, full stop. Her developing feelings for me would mean problems for the timeline.

Aang aside, there was Sokka to worry about as well. To say that he was protective over his sister would have been an understatement. If he so much as caught a single whiff of Katara having feelings for me, I'd have to sleep a half mile from camp with one eye open just so he wouldn't club me to death in my sleep.

"Man, you wouldn't believe the most amazing things that come from some terrible nights," I said, mainly to myself. Kate looked at me with her eyes wide. I couldn't see the rest of her face due to the scarf that covered her mouth and nose like mine.

"Did, did you just quote 'Some Nights'?" she asked.

"Maybe," I said, with a shrug. Her eyes were shining with a broad smile.

" _Some nights I stay up, cashing in my bad luck. Some nights I call it a draw."_ Kate started singing. I gave her a look.

"I ain't singing," I said.

" _Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle. Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off."_ Despite what I had said, Kate had me smiling. My mind was taken off the whole Katara issue. It was enough to ignore the cold as we trudged onward. It was also refreshing to hear something from home, even if it was just basic singing without any music.

 _"But I still wake up, I still see your ghost. Oh Lord, I'm still not sure, what stand for. Ooh!"_ Her enthusiasm in the singing was infectious, and despite my declaration that I was not going to, I starting singing along anyway.

" _What do I stand for? What do I stand for? Most nights, I don't know, anymore."_

 _"Oh! Oh Whoa! Oh Whoa! Whoa!_ " By now, I was stamping my feet along to the beat of the song, putting a spring into my step and making myself look like a fool as we walked. Kate was laughing so hard that she was clenching her sides. Me, I wasn't stopping. I was on a roll now. It had been so long since I'd cut loose like this, it felt good just to have fun.

" _This is it boys, this is war! What are we waiting for? Why don't we break the rules already? I was never one to believe the hype, save that for the black and white. I try twice as hard and I'm half as liked, but here they come again to style."_ Now, Kate had managed to recover her breath and was singing along with me again.

 _"Well, some nights, I wish that this all would end, cause I could use some friends for a change. And some nights, I'm scared you'll forget me again. Some nights, I always win, I always win."_

 _"But still wake up, I still see your ghost. Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for, Oh! What do I stand for? What do I stand for? Most nights, I don't know, anymore."_

We continued on for a long, long time. How long, I have no idea. The whole midnight sun thing tends to make something as simple as keeping time a confusing task. Basically we kept going, and going, and going, and when I finally reached the point I was ready to collapse from exhaustion, Kate pushed me on another three miles or so.

Camp that evening consisted of shelter and a small fire in a cave along a small ridge. We ate quietly, huddled close to the fire and each other for heat.

"We're close to their hunting grounds now. We should see one soon," Kate informed me. I double checked all of my equipment, seeing how it all faired against the cold and if they were operational. Thankfully, nothing seemed to be in disrepair. Yet. The longer we were out here the more likely that was to happen.

"Is there anything I should be aware of about these things?" I asked.

"Food is scarce on the tundra. Out here, they're hunting us just like we're hunting them," she said.

"Good to know."

* * *

I was awoken to the sound of wind blowing, and a very sharp wolf's howl echoing from outside the cave. Kate was already on her feet and at the ready, a scimitar made from a whale's tooth being held in her hand. I strung my bow and had an arrow nocked before nodding at her, indicating that I was ready for whatever was about to happen.

We crept toward the cave entrance and peered out into the frigid landscape. Snow was falling freely and being driven by the wind, greatly limiting our line of sight. We had to be extra careful in these conditions. With the color of the landscape, our prey could easily blend in with the surroundings and turn the tables against us.

Kate was the first to leave the cave. She had her weapon at the ready as she cautiously put on foot before the other. I followed a few paces behind her, eyes glued to our surroundings, looking for any sign of movement. The howling had stopped since we came to the front of the cave, which made the hair stand on the back of my neck.

Suddenly there was movement out of the corner of my eye, and a large shape landed on Kate. She was forced to ground, her sword skidding a short distance away as she let out a yell of pain. It was a wolf, a big wolf at that, and it had it's fangs sunk into Kate's shoulder. I acted on instinct, drawing the arrow back and letting it fly.

The arrow struck the wolf in the side, forcing it off Kate and to topple in the snow. Instantly Kate was up, grabbing her sword with her good hand and swinging it at the wolf. She managed to land a strike on it's snout, causing it to rear back in pain before it could fully recover from the arrow strike. The wolf let out a howl, before it turned and vanished back into the snow.

"You alright?" I asked, hurrying over to her and catching her before she could fall.

"Son of a…jeez this hurts," she replied, looking at her bleeding shoulder. I helped her back into the cave and sat her down before going into my pack for a first aid kit.

"I'm an idiot, I should have seen that coming. These wolves are ambush predators," she said.

"Yeah, yeah, save it for later," I said as I bent a stream of snow into a ball of water and began to try and stop the bleeding.

"Can you fight?" I asked as I moved the blob away from her wound in order to get a better look at it.

"No," she replied, moving her arm slightly with a wince.

"So, it's up to me now, isn't it," I said.

"It looks that way," she said as she leaned back against the wall.

"It's out there, still, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yeah. It's got a taste of blood, it's not going anywhere," she said. Drawing another arrow, I turned and looked back toward the cave entrance.

"Don't go anywhere," I said, glancing back at her.

"Har har," she said dryly.

Which brings us up to speed.

I let the arrow fly at the wolf, which sailed past it and out into the snow. My eyes went wide and I threw myself to the side, just barely managing to avoid getting mauled. The wolf landed in a skid and sliced at me with it's paw. Instantly I felt white hot pain go up my back as it's claws tore through my coat and into my flesh underneath. I cried out as I fell to the ground, my bow slipping from my grasp.

Hearing claws scape into the ice behind me, I rolled to the side, again, narrowly managing to avoid getting mauled as the wolf landed where I was just an instant earlier. My teeth were clenched as I stood against the pain. My back was on fire, and it wasn't helped by the frigid air that was against my open wounds.

The wolf lowered its forward legs, snarled and pounced at me again. I threw my arms up, mostly in a vain effort to protect my face. Rather than feeling a horse sized killing machine falling upon me, I heard a surprised yelp. Looking up, I was surprised to find that the wolf was encased in a pillar of ice. It's head was free, as was the majority of it's hind section. Only its forward legs and shoulders were in the ice, effectively trapping it.

"God, I love bending," I said to myself as I lowered my hands. The wolf snarled at me and snapped it's jaws, trying to free itself and rip out my throat. Ignoring the fire in my back, I hobbled my way over and recovered my bow before making my closer to the wolf. I shouldered the bow moved with caution, staying well beyond the reach of it's jaws.

All of it's injuries, both the arrow and the slice that Kate had given it, were free of the ice. Moving around to it's back side, I focused primarily on the arrow jutting from it's side. The wolf sensed my presence, and it began to claw it hind legs against the ice in an effort to get away. To be honest, I actually felt bad for the thing. It was hurt, and it was trapped with no way to escape, and now it was scared.

If Kate's plan was to work, I needed to find a way to get this thing to work with me without getting torn to shreds. The only way I could think of to do that was heal it's wounds, show I wasn't a threat, and pray that when I freed it I didn't immediately get my face torn off. Moving around to the front, I drew my tomahawk and placed the blade against it's neck, a warning that I could end it's life whenever I wanted to.

Somehow, the wolf was able to understand and it stopped it's thrashing and biting. Keeping the weapon in place, I used my free hand to turn some snow into water and slowly applied it to the wolf's snout. If this thing chose this moment to bite me, my entire arm from the elbow down would be down it's throat and gone before I could even register what had happened.

Thankfully, the wolf didn't move, but rather just let me do my work. While healing a human isn't easy, preforming it on a wolf is even harder. The differences in anatomy alone made an already difficult task that much more so. But I was persistent, and was able to get the results I desired. The wolf must have begun to understand my intentions to help it, as it was no longer struggling, but simply staring at me with massive yellow eyes. With yet more caution, I moved the tomahawk blade away from it's neck before moving around to the back again, I knew I'd have to work fast in order for this next part to work.

"This is gonna hurt," I warned, not really knowing if it would actually understand me or not. Instead of waiting to see what would happen next, I grabbed the arrow and yanked it free. The wolf let out a howl of pain, and I felt my heart twist with guilt over what I had just done. But I knew I couldn't delay. Blood was flowing much more freely now from the wound, and I had to act fast before the wolf bled out.

Like with it's snout, I gathered up some snow, turned it to water, and started the healing process. There was a lot more damage, and it took every ounce of my concentration. I even had to stop and restart a few times. But, finally, after what felt like hours, I was done. With that, there was only one thing left to do. I retrieved some dried meat from my pack, and offered it to the wolf as a peace offering. The wolf was like me, cautious as it sniffed my palm. Then, it lapped up the meat with it's tongue before looking at me with a begging look in it's eyes.

Deciding to take a chance, I thawed the ice imprisoning it before stretching my hand out. Rather than tear it off and run like some kick game of fetch, it lowered it's snout slightly and pressed it's face into my palm. I breathed a sigh of relief. Somehow I had done it. It'd drained me, and damn near gotten me killed in the process, but I had done it.

Turning on my heel, I began to make my way back to the cave. It was only now that I could finally feel the cold that was piercing my clothes and limbs, and the warm blood that was running down my back.

"Kate? Kate I did..I did…" I started as I entered the cave, only to watch as the icy floor suddenly raced up to meet me. I hit the ground with a thud. My strength was gone, and my ability to stay awake was going with it. Darkness swam into my vision as I used my last amounts of energy to try and claw my way forward.

"Morgan? MORGAN!" Kate's voice echoed from somewhere overhead. It was the last thing I heard before the darkness claimed me entirely.

 **And cut. Don't you just love cliffhangers? Well there were some new developments this chapter, and many more to come as we head straight into the fight for the Northern Water Tribe next chapter. What did you guys think? Let me know. Drop a review, send a PM, leave a smoke signal or something, and I'll see you all next time.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. Let's get a move on, shall we?**

I drifted somewhere between being awake and being asleep. It was hard to tell which was a dream and which was real. There was a choice in the between the two. One was warm and familiar. I could hear echoes from several pleasant memories with friends and family. In the other, there was cold, pain, and strangeness.

Which do you think I wound up trying to go for?

 _"Come on, slowpoke, we're gonna miss it!" I blinked as I found myself being dragged forward by my hand. Recognition surged through me as I looked around. This was the Montana State Fair, in Great Falls. The person dragging me was a Hispanic girl about my age. Her black hair cascaded down over her blue sun dress, stopping at about the small of her back. She gave me a smile that seemed to make the summer sun shine just a little brighter._

"Morgan, wake up!"

 _The voice echoed from somewhere behind me. I stopped and looked back in the direction of the voice with a frown. The voice was important, my instinct screamed that at me. Yet, I didn't see anything there._

 _"Jake, you coming?" the girl asked._

 _"Huh? Yeah, Maria, I'm coming," I said. I followed her as she led the way through the crowd of fairgoers. Maria was one of my oldest friends, and coming to the State Fair together was a tradition that dated back as far as either one of us could remember. For as long as I had known her, she'd always been a ball of energy, constantly acting like she was on the world's greatest sugar rush. Even when I was running, it seemed like I was struggling to keep up with her._

"Morgan!"

 _I ignored the voice and focused on Maria. I could feel the cold where the voice was coming from. Here, it was warm. Here was where Maria was. Now don't get me wrong, she's a beautiful girl with a heart of gold, but I've never seen her as anything more than a close friend. A sister and a partner in crime more than a lover._

 _"Do you think we should get Dippin Dots?" she asked._

 _"I don't think you need anymore sugar," I replied._

 _"Oh, come on, live a little," she said, ginning back at me._

 _"I am, and frankly I'd like to survive the ride home, thank you very much," I said. She waved me off with her free hand._

 _"No spirit at all," she said._

Pain flared in my chest, causing me to gasp and my eyes to fly open. Kate was crouched above me, her good hand clenched into a fist and raised to strike me again. I coughed as I struggled to get air back into my lungs, and decide whether or not I wanted to regurgitate whatever meager food I had eaten onto the cave floor.

As I tried to roll over onto my side, my back flared up in pain, making me cry out at the suddenness of it. A hand appeared on my shoulder, keeping me from going any further and stabilizing me as the pain started to fade.

"Easy, we can't have you tearing your bandages," Kate said. I breathed and blinked the tears out of my eyes as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings. The first thing I saw was the wolf. It's massive frame was lying curled up against the cave wall, watching us with those massive yellow eyes. It looked like someone's dog on a couch, only the size of a horse instead.

"I see you two have met," I wheezed out. Kate cast a glance toward the wolf before helping me sit up.

"Yeah, we've been getting reacquainted. He's really not so bad once you get past the whole taking a chunk out of me bit," she said.

"Good to know," I said as I settled into an upright position. I hurt. A lot. I wanted to go back to those warm fairgrounds, I wanted to go back to Maria.

"Morgan, we've got to get you back to the Tribe. Those bandages I applied slowed the bleeding, but it didn't stop it. You'll bleed out if we don't get help," Kate said.

"I don't think I can walk more than a hundred yards, much less backtrack all that way," I told her in a tired voice. Ordinarily the concept of bleeding out would have lit a fire under my ass. But at this point I was so exhausted that it didn't really sink in.

"We'll have to ride him, it's the only way we'd make it in time," she said, looking at the wolf. The wolf perked up slightly, but otherwise didn't move. I knew she was right, but that didn't mean I was looking forward to the task by any stretch.

With Kate's help, I got to my feet and made my way over to the wolf with my hand outstretched. He lowered his head and allowed me to place it upon his brow. I rubbed it gently, trying to ignore the fact that with one wrong move I'd loose both my hand and my life. As I patted him, I noticed that Kate was still favoring the arm that hadn't been bitten.

"Hey, boy. Can you carry us home?" I asked. The wolf gave a yawn and licked his lips. I didn't speak wolf, but I really hoped that meant 'yes, of course'. Then he looked toward Kate, sniffed the air, and batted his paw over his nose as if something didn't smell right about her. Following his line of sight, I took a closer look at my human companion and frowned. She was paler, even more so than usual.

"Kate, you okay?"

"I'm fine," she dismissed, a little too quickly. I gave her a hard glare.

"Kate, let me see the bite," I said. She quickly shook her head.

"Morgan, I'm fine, we need to focus on…"

"Kate. Bite. Now," I interrupted, my tone making it clear that this wasn't up for debate. Kate gave me a hard glare, but reluctantly lowered left shoulder on her coat and shirt. As carefully as I could, I peeled back the bandages and looked at the bite underneath. Instantly I felt my blood chill, and not from a sudden burst of cold wind.

"Kate, this is.."

"Infected, yes, I know!" she snapped.

"I'm not the only one on the clock," I said as I reapplied the bandages.

"No, you're not," she answered, her voice much softer now. I placed my hand on her good shoulder and gave it a squeeze of reassurance, to which she gave a small smile.

"Let's ride."

* * *

Riding a wolf is kind of like riding a horse, and not even close to riding a bike of any kind. I was sitting on his back, hunched over and clinging to his fur with my hands and legs. Kate was sitting behind me, making sure I didn't fall off while at the same time clinging for dear life herself. The wolf ran across the tundra at an unyielding, break neck pace.

The frigid wind stung my eyes and froze my face, forcing me to hunker over even further for shelter. This made my back scream in protest, but it couldn't be helped. As we rode, I felt myself getting weaker and weaker. I could feel the warm trickle of blood as my bandages tore from my movements. What started as a fight to stay on the wolf's back quickly turned into a fight just to stay awake. If I passed out now, I knew that I'd never wake up.

"Come on, stay awake," I said to myself, raising my head some to expose it more to the wind in an effort to keep my eyes open. Time blurred, as did any sense of direction I had as I slowly lost my battle to stay awake. Occasionally I felt Kate shake me to see if I was still alive, but other than that I continued to grow more and more numb to my surroundings.

Finally, I heard shouting, and it wasn't just my red headed companion screaming in my ear over the wind. There were other voices around us. With my last bit of strength, I lifted my head and forced my eyes open. We were back in the city, and there were guards all around us. Every single one of them looked like a fish out of water with how wide their mouths were hanging open. Some of them had their weapons kept half heartedly at the ready, but the vast majority looked like they had been frozen in a moment in time during which they had been stunned to their core.

"Someone order a wolf?" I asked, or at least that's what I somewhat half coherently muttered before I fell straight off the wolf's back and into the blackness of sleep.

You know that sleep that's so deep that you don't even dream? The kind where it's just an inky blackness for a while before you wake up and you generally don't have the slightest clue what's going on. Yeah, I had one of those blackouts. Seriously, I fell off the wolf and jerked awake in a cot in a healing tent a week later.

As I woke up, I instantly regretted it. When I was asleep, I didn't feel any pain. Now that I was awake, my entire body hurt with a dull ache. I felt like I had been flattened by a truck, and then dragged along behind said truck for a solid mile. Glancing about, I took in as much of my surroundings as I could without actually moving my head.

For starters, I noticed that I wasn't alone. Sleeping in a chair next to my cot was Katara. I felt a warmth flood through my being as I saw her. She'd changed her coat since the last time I had seen her. A golden crescent moon was now present in the upper center of her chest. With some effort, I began to force myself to sit up. The blanket I had on me fell away, revealing a set of white bandages that were wrapped around my midsection.

"Ouch," I groaned. Katara slowly opened her eyes and saw me sitting up.

"You're awake," she said, her voice containing relief.

"Regretfully," I said with a wince, my hand rubbing the bandages.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, earning an annoyed glare from me, "sorry, standard question."

"Warm, for once," I answered after a moment of silence. This earned a smile from her.

"Yugoda says that another day or two of healing treatments and you should be able to move around on your own," she said. I frowned.

"Who?"

"The woman who trains all the healers," she explained.

"Oh," I said, "what about Kai?"

"You mean Kate?" Katara asked, cocking her eyebrow. I swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in my throat.

"Uh?"

"The infection had spread pretty far by the time the healers got to her. It didn't take long for them to figure out her secret," she explained. I let out a disappointed sigh. It was my fault. Because of me, Kate had been out on that trip. Because of me, she'd gotten bit, and now because of me, her secret had been exposed.

"Is she okay?" I asked, looking at the floor in shame. Katara was quiet for a long time before she answered.

"Not really, Morgan. She got it a lot worse then you did," she said.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"She's stable and recovering, for now. But the infection got really bad. Morgan, they had to take her arm," she said. I felt like throwing up. Now, I had cost her an arm as well. Maybe if I could take her ability to walk or procreate as well my day would be complete. Leaning over, I put my forehead head in the palms of my hands.

"It's all my fault," I said.

"Morgan, you two survived, you should be grateful for that."

"At what cost, Katara? I got Kate outed and cost her ten years of her life and an arm to boot. I never should have let her go along," I said.

"It's not that bad. We got Pakku to shift his views and train me how to waterbend. Maybe the Chief will let her stay with the warriors," Katara said.

"Even if that's the case, she can't fight with one arm. Either way, Kate's life here in the North is over," I replied. Katara took my hand in hers and held it tightly.

"You can't blame yourself for everything that goes wrong. She's a grown woman, she made her choice, just like I've made mine and you've made yours. The only thing we can do is live with the consequences, both good and bad," she said. I couldn't bring myself to answer but rather squeezed her hand and sat in silence for a while.

"Let's change the topic. I don't think you can handle being anymore depressed than you already are," she suggested. I gave a shrug at that, although there was only one other subject that sprang to mind.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Of course."

"Why did you kiss me before I left?" I asked, not bothering to beat around the bush even the slightest. Katara instantly blushed and looked away.

"Wow, right to the point, huh?"

"You know me."

"I do. It's cause…I wasn't sure you were coming back," she said.

"Do you like me?" I asked. She gave me a bewildered look.

"Of course I like you, we're friends, aren't we?"

"You know what I mean. Do you like me as just a friend, or is there something more?" I pressed.

"Something more…" she mumbled, not looking at me. Don't get me wrong, I've suspected something like this for a while now. But to actually hear her admit it was…well, I wasn't quite sure how I felt.

"I'd ask you if you were insane, but I'd like to think I'm a nicer person than that," I said. This earned me a look of confusion from Katara.

"Huh?"

"Katara, look at me, I'm a nobody. Mainly I'm an idiot who can't keep his mouth shut at the right time or keep himself from wandering into trouble. Put it mildly, I don't see what there is to like," I explained.

"You're also the most selfless person I've ever met," she replied. Her response left me stunned.

"Do what now?" I've thought of myself as several things, but selfless was never one of them. If anything, I've always pegged myself more in the SELFISH category.

"Think back. Ever since we've met, everything you've done was to help someone else out. In Pat To, you were helping Haru and his mother stock up for the winter, you helped cheer Aang up at the Winter Solstice, and you didn't hesitate to jump in and help him when he needed it. You helped that group of refugees cross the Great Divide, you took care of Sokka and I when we were sick," she listed off.

"I was just helping out my friends, like any decent person should do," I said.

"You did whatever you could to save the people at the Northern Air Temple, up to and including blowing up half the mountain," she added.

"I'm a pyro," I said with a shrug.

"You took that blast of fire to the back for me when we met Jeong Jeong, when you knew you didn't have to," she said pointedly.

"You would have done the same."

"Morgan…"

"I'm not a good person, Katara, alright? I've killed people, you've SEEN me kill people. I'm not the kind of guy you should be thinking about that way," I said, my voice ending just above a whisper. There it was, the bare ugly truth of the matter. I had hated myself ever since the events of the Air Temple.

My whole life, as a hunter, I had never taken more then what was required to survive. Even after I had arrived here, that was the code I had always tried to live by; never take more than necessary, make sure everything has a purpose. But when I killed those soldiers during the battle, I felt something awaken inside me. A rush, a thrill, like one might get from something exciting happening. It left me feeling horrified, with a sick feeling in my stomach.

"Did you ever kill anyone for the fun of it?" she asked after a long time. I gave her a horrified look.

"What? No, of course not!" I answered.

"You only ever killed when you had no other choice. It's not something to be proud of, but it's not something to beat yourself up over either," she said.

"That doesn't change how I feel."

"I didn't say it should. What I am saying is this; if you hadn't done what you did, we'd both be dead right now, and you know that for a fact."

"Yeah…I know," I said reluctantly. A long silence fell between us.

"So?" she finally asked.

"You want to know if I feel the same way, don't you?" I asked. She simply nodded. I looked away from her.

"Can you wait for me to give you an answer?" I asked, "What with everything that's going on, I'm not sure I can give a proper one yet."

"Okay, I'll wait. But I won't wait forever. Be sure you don't miss your chance, Morgan Wood," she said before standing and leaving me be. As she went, the words my Grandmother had said to me echoed through my mind.

' _A young woman with passion who has traveled from a far away land. But, you cannot stand by when the time comes, or your chance will be missed forever.'_

Katara certainly fit the description. She was beautiful, had a fiery passion in her, and yet a sweet and nurturing side as well. If things were different, I would have swept her up in my arms in a heartbeat and never looked back. But, there were several things to consider here. For one, Aang. I knew how much the kid liked her, and it wouldn't be a very nice thing to do to steal the girl he liked right out from under him. There was also the future to consider.

Like the fact that those two were suppose to have three kids, for instance.

If Katara and I got together, where did that leave things in the timeline when it came to Korra's time? Would Tenzin and his siblings not exist? Or would they have a different father? The fact of the matter was; I liked Katara. A lot. Enough that I was seriously considering forsaking all of that just to be with her. Once again, it fell to me to make a decision.

My life. My choice.

"Mr. Wood, you have a visitor," came the voice of an attendant, bringing me out of my thoughts. I looked up and was surprised to find myself looking at one of the last people I expected to visit me. Chief Arnook.

"Chief?" I asked, confused.

"Hello, Mr. Wood. Can we speak?" he asked.

"Sure," I said, still stunned as I motioned toward a seat near the bed. He sat in the chair I motioned to.

"I want to start by apologizing for banishing you. I realize now that it might have been on the extreme side, given the circumstances," he said.

"I wasn't exactly the most respectful of people in there," I said.

"You were trying to warn us of a coming threat. I can understand why you got as heated as you did," he dismissed.

"So, what happens now?" I asked.

"Now, you will be inducted into the Tribe as per custom, and we will begin preparing for the Fire Nation to come here," he answered. I was pleasantly surprised that Kate's plan had worked, but kept that to myself. Speaking off which…

"What about Kate?" I asked, putting words to my unspoken curiosity.

"Unfortunately in her current condition, there's no way I can given her another combat role. That being said, she's one of the greatest masters of subterfuge I had ever seen. I'm going to offer her a teaching role if she wants it, see if she can train some more of our warriors to be like her," he answered.

"I'd like to see her," I said.

"Of course. Now, get some rest, there is much for us to do," he said.

* * *

I spent the next day or two sleeping on and off. When I say that, I mean I was awake to eat, use the bathroom, and have healing sessions. The rest of the time I was somewhere in dream land, resting on a beach with Katara wearing a bikini. I mean, I was the one wearing the bikini. Water Tribe pain medication has a LOT of weird side effects, so don't ask.

When I was finally able to get up and get around by myself, the first thing I did was go to visit Kate. The redhead was confined to a cot with the entirety of her left side covered in bandages, namely a stump where her arm use to be. Despite her missing her limb, Kate seemed to be in a chipper mood.

"Hey, you're up, how's your back?" she asked when she saw me.

"Scarred, but better now," I answered.

"Lot better than what I got off with," she said, rolling her bandaged shoulder to make a point.

"Yeah," I mumbled, looking away guiltily.

"Hey, none of that! I volunteered to go. This is my fault, not yours," she snapped, glaring at me. I gave her an apologetic smile, which only earned a longer, hard glare from her.

"I have something for you, since you're officially being inducted," she said, reaching into a nightstand with her one arm. I was puzzled as she handed me a small trinket on a set of black cord. It was a hunk of whale bone, carved and shaved down to resemble the head of a wolf in mid snarl.

"Isn't the guy suppose to be the one to present the necklace when purposing?" I asked, earning a rather dangerous look from her.

"Watch it, Wood, I still got one good arm to strangle you with," she warned. I chuckled, but otherwise kept looking over the pendent.

"It's got some serious craftsmanship," I noted with seriousness.

"I carved it myself," Kate said.

"Damn, you could open a shop."

"Thanks. So what new name did you get for your induction?" she asked.

"Amarok. I'm told it's suppose to be a name a great honor," I answered. Kate seemed to stiffen a little.

"Amarok? You're certain that's what was chose?" she asked.

"Yeah, what about it?" I asked.

"Nothing, it's just, I haven't heard of that name being bestowed on anyone for a very long time. Hundreds of years, if not thousands," she answered.

"Well, you did say I was the first one to bring a wolf back alive and tamed," I pointed out.

"True," she said with a nod.

"So, what do I do now?" I asked.

"Go have some fun, little a little. The Fire Nation is coming, we both know that. So go on, do something before they get here," she said, dismissing me with the wave of her hand. I smiled and did as she commanded, turning on my heals and heading back outside. She was right, I had a little bit of time, so I had better make it count.

I walked, enjoying the day for once with a smile on my face. It might have been cold but the sun was warm enough to make it pleasant. I needed to find Aang and talk to him about having Kate join us when we left for the Earth Kingdom. It was the least I could do after everything that had happened.

A lot of confused and panicked whispers coming from the people around me brought me out of my thoughts and back into reality. I looked around, initially confused as to what was going on. Then I realized that it was snowing. Not just any snow. Black snow. I felt my blood run cold, cause I knew what black snow in the Water Tribe meant.

The Fire Nation had arrived.

 **And cut. Thus begins the Siege of the North, and the finale of this story. What do you guys think? Let me know; Drop a review, leave a PM, send a telegram, and I'll see you guys next time.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. This one is a little shorter than usual, but hey it's better than nothing, right? On with the show:**

Thirty seven rounds of ammunition, a single quiver full of arrows, one hunting knife, and one tomahawk. This is what I had laid out before me on my fur covered cot, and this was what I had to work with in terms of the oncoming invasion. I sighed and rested my head in the palms of my hands. Even with the show's foreknowledge preset in my mind, the entire situation didn't look good.

"You don't look much better than the rest of us," came a voice, causing me to look up. It was Aang. The airbender was standing at the entrance to my small quarters with Momo resting on his shoulder, a look of concern on his face.

"What am I suppose to look like?" I asked.

"I was hoping that you'd be the rock like you always are," he answered. I motioned for him to take a seat on the opposite end of the cot from me.

"You're wanting me to tell you that we're going to get through this, that everything is going to be alright, don't you?" I asked as he sat down. He gave me a nod as he scratched Momo behind the ears. The lemur closed one eye and leaned into the scratching, clearly enjoying the treatment he was getting. I sat in silence for a long time, looking down at the equipment before me.

"Why me?" I finally asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you want to hear it from me? Katara's the optimist," I said. Aang was quiet for a while before answering.

"There's just something about you, Morgan. A lot of what you have said has come true. Whenever you leave, you always seem to find your way back. It's almost like you can see the future sometimes," he said. I chuckled at that.

"I wouldn't go that far," I said.

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I answered.

"So you actually can see the future?"

"Let it go, Aang," I warned. He dropped his head at that. I sighed before pulling my necklace off and handing it to him. Aang took it and looked over the two metals, studying them closely for the first time.

"I don't recognize these markings," he said, tracing the English lettering around the round edges.

"Really? I thought you traveled all over before you were frozen," I said, faking surprise. Of course he'd never seen it. As far as I could tell, English didn't exist in a written form in this world.

"What are they?" he asked.

"Saint Christopher," I said, pointing the metal depicting a man with a boy on his shoulder, "and Saint Michael," pointing at the depiction of an angel with a sword raised for a downward strike.

"Who are they?"

"The patrons of travelers and soldiers," I answered.

"Why show me this?" he asked as he handed me the metals back.

"These metals are all I have left of my grandfather. They're kinda like my worry stone. Whenever I get upset I'll usually rub them. My point is, Aang, that I don't go around doing what I do all stoic and heroic like. Nine times outa ten, I'm panicking just like everyone else. I just do a little bit better job of hiding it," I explained. Aang looked down at the space between us.

"I wasn't there when the Fire Nation attacked my people. I'm going to make a difference this time," he said. I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"And we'll be there, backing you up," I reassured, earning a smile from him.

* * *

The war drums were already beating before the black snow had even stopped falling. Everyone in the Tribe it seemed descended upon the palace. When he saw me, the Chief motioned me over. I approached with a curious expression on my face, wondering just what he wanted.

"I apologize for the abruptness, Morgan, but our time is short," he said.

"I understand," I said. Arnook motioned over his shoulder, and a warrior hurried forward with a small bowl cupped in his hands. The Chief took the bowl, and I realized that it contained red paint. Or blood. I really hoped it was the former.

"Today is both a day of triumph, and of sorrow. First, we welcome a new brother into our family. Morgan, kneel," he said, directing the last part to me. I fell to one knee as instructed. The Chief dipped his fingers into the red liquid before tracing a mark on my forehead. A shiver ran down my spine at the cold paint touched my skin.

"Having proven yourself more than worthy I, Arnook, Chief of the North, name you Amarok. Rise, brother, and take your place amongst the warriors of our tribe," he said. I did as instructed, standing and joining the ranks of the warriors. Without setting the bowl down, Arnook turned and looked out over the gathered members of the Tribe. His face was somber. It was clear that he knew the full weight of what was about to fall upon us.

"The day we have long feared has arrived. The Fire Nation is on our doorstep. I call my family here, knowing full well that many of the faces present here will soon vanish forever. I call upon the great Spirits: Spirit of the Moon, Spirit of the Ocean, be with us!" With that, Arnook called for volunteers for an extremely dangerous mission. Both Sokka and I instantly spoke up, naturally. Sokka got the Chief's mark, like the others, while I was exempt because of new symbol on my own forehead.

As we began to head off to the mission briefing, Katara caught my wrist and held me back.

"Are you sure about this, Morgan? You're still not fully healed yet," she said with concern.

"I figured I would at least offer my services. There are a bunch of other warriors with way more experience than me, I doubt they'll actually send me into the field," I said. She took my hand.

"I'm still worried," she said in a small voice. I felt my chest clench, and it was at this moment that I had a realization. I knew that the others in the group were going to survive the Siege. But me? I was an unknown factor. It wasn't set in stone that I was going to survive. There was the very real possibility that my story would end here, in the frigid snows of the North.

My life. My choice.

"Come with me," I said, tightening my grip on her hand. Katara looked confused, but allowed herself to be dragged along with me. I led her away from prying eyes, to an empty corner on the outside of the palace where I was sure we wouldn't be disturbed. After double checking to see that we were truly alone, I turned to face her.

All this time, I had been worried about the timeline over matters of the heart. Me just being here had already torn the timeline a new one. Maybe it was time I got some good out of it.

"Are you still waiting for me?" I asked. At first, she looked confused by my question. But then, I saw the realization dawn in her eyes.

"I am," she answered, glancing down and noticing that I hadn't dropped her hand yet. Despite my pounding chest and ragged breath, I stepped forward and smashed my lips into hers. It wasn't a long kiss, maybe five seconds, tops. When I pulled away, the young waterbender before me looked absolutely stunned.

"You don't have to wait any longer," I said, my voice sounding horse. Katara blinked once, twice, and then three times, and I started to worry that I might have broken her or something. Then, she gave me the sweetest smile I had ever seen before she leaned in and kissed me again. It wasn't like the first time when she'd kissed me, a rushed effort because she was unsure if she was going to see me again. This time, it was soft, and yet so full of emotion.

I wrapped my arms around her and deepened the kiss. She followed my lead, being less experienced in this area than I was. After what seemed like ages, we broke apart, if only for our mutual need to breathe. We still held each other close, our foreheads resting against each other as we struggled to catch our breath.

"Sokka is going to kill you when he finds out," she said, finally breaking the silence between us. I merely smiled before kissing her again.

"Don't tell him, it's none of his business, anyway," I said.

"It would be easer to just tell him now and get it over with," she said. I snorted at that.

"You think he was bad when he thought I was Fire Nation? Imagine how insufferable he'll be when he finds out about this," I said, motioning back and forth between us.

"Good point," she said. I took her hand in mine again.

"Just for now," I promised.

"Just for now," she echoed, still smiling. Reluctantly, we parted ways and headed to the areas we were suppose to be in. I quickly caught up with the mission group, and despite my best efforts, I couldn't keep the happy smirk off of my face. This was something that didn't go unnoticed by Sokka.

"What's got you so happy?" he asked as we entered an armory.

"Just in a good mood is all," I answered. It wasn't a lie, but it obviously wasn't the whole truth either. Sokka just continued to give me a questioning look as we fell into rank. Everyone snapped to attention as the Chief entered the room.

"Men, you will be infiltrating the Fire Nation Navy, which means you all will be needing one of these uniforms," he said before motioning to his side. Stepping out from behind Arnook came a young man, not much older than Sokka and I, wearing what I can only describe as a cosplayer's rather poor attempt at a Fire Navy uniform. I blinked in stunned silence at what I was seeing. There was no way, no way they were sending us off wearing those.

Apparently I wasn't the only one having this line of thought, as Sokka couldn't stop himself from bursting out laughing. All eyes in the room fell on us. The one wearing the uniform in particular looked rather annoyed by Sokka's outburst.

"What's your problem?" he asked.

"Fire Navy uniforms don't look like that," Sokka answered in a matter of fact tone.

"Of course they do. These are actual Fire Nation uniforms captured from actual Fire Nation soldiers," the guy defended.

"How long has it been since you guys were last attacked by the Fire Nation, a hundred years?" I asked.

"Eighty five," the Chief answered. Oh, well that was an improvement.

"The Fire Nation doesn't use shoulder spikes anymore. The new uniforms are more streamlined," Sokka explained, stepping forward and flicking one of the spikes on the guy's armor in the process.

"Are we sure we can trust these guys? Such bold talk from a pair of new recruits," the guy in the armor said, speaking toward the Chief.

"Sokka is from our sister tribe, Han. Both he and Amarok have had extensive experience with the Fire Nation, and I value their judgement," the Chief said before turned to face the rest of the volunteers, "now, our first priority will be to identify their commanding officer."

"His name is Zhao," Sokka said, again with the matter of fact tone, "middle aged, big side burns, bigger tempter."

"Biggest asshole you'll ever meet," I added.

"Sokka, Armarok, I want you two to tell everything you know to Han, he'll be leading this mission. Han, show them some respect, I expect nothing less from my future son in law," the Chief said. Sokka looked at Han with an absolutely dumbfounded expression.

"Princess Yue is marrying YOU?!" he asked.

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Nothing, congratulations," Sokka said before folding his arms. It was clear that this revelation had left him rather unhappy. I cocked my eyebrow at him.

"You okay?" I asked as we started to head to the other end of the armory.

"Fine. Peachy," he muttered before kicking a helmet. Apparently the universe chose that moment to pick on him, cause his foot connected wrong and in the next instant he was hopping around, clutching it and muttering swear words under his breath.

"Sokka, I ain't blind. I've seen how you and the Princess act around each other," I said.

"We're just friends, that's all," he said as he attempted to rub his foot through his boot.

"Right, and Fire Lord Ozai is totally just a misunderstood guy," I said, folding my arms. Sokka let out a sigh before lowering his boot back to the floor.

"Okay, fine. I like her. A lot. And it hurts, seeing her dooming herself to a life with that guy," he said, gesturing toward Han, "I don't even know why I'm bothering telling you this, you wouldn't understand." I cast a glance toward my boots, thinking about the shift in my relationship to his sister.

"I understand, a lot more than you might realize," I said.

"I don't know what to do," he said.

"I'm gonna tell you something I figured out only recently; life is short, and unpredictable. Follow your heart, everything else will follow along," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked at me with a look I couldn't quite place.

"Since when did you become the free spirit type?" he asked. I shrugged.

"We're about to go to war, Sokka. There's no telling if we'll come back or not," I said. Again, that same look came across his face, like he wasn't sure to make of me.

"We're going to make it through this, Morgan. We always do," he said. I gave him a grin and a slap on the shoulder.

"Now who's the optimist, eh?" He returned my grin.

"Shut up." Just as we set to sharpening some weapons on some big wheel style whetstones, the Chief appeared before us.

"Amarok, I'm pulling you from the mission," he said. I blinked in a stunned surprise.

"Uh?" was all I could muster, having been blindsided by this sudden development.

"But, he didn't do anything wrong," Sokka said, just as confused as I was.

"Actually, I have need of his skills elsewhere," the Chief said. I shared a look with Sokka, both of us clearly not grasping what was going on.

"Okay, point me where you want me, I guess," I finally said, still unsure. Rather than speak, he motioned for me to follow him. I gave a Sokka a half wave in parting before following the immense man. It was only after we had left the armory and walked some distance that he finally spoke.

"I'm sure you're wondering what's going on," he said without slowing his pace.

"Yeah, you could say that," I answered.

"As you know, it's been a very long time since our forces have engaged the Fire Nation directly. The most our military has had to face is the occasional raid from a bandit leader who feels a little too sure of themselves. But you two, you've actually fought the enemy that is coming, you have more experience than any other warrior here," he explained.

"So, you want me to help with the city defenses?" I guessed.

"To be exact, I want you to take command of the archer units," he corrected. Again, I found myself stunned. It wasn't that long ago that this man was banishing me for speaking out of turn. Now he was giving me command of a section of his military force.

"Um, Chief, I'm only seventeen. Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked.

"You have the most experience, and if your friends' accounts are accurate, you're a very skilled archer in your own right. I'm trusting you with this task. Do you think you can do it?" he asked. I paused and looked out over the city, toward the open sea. In the show, there hadn't been any archer units shown during the battle. At least, none that I could recall anyway. That meant that either they hadn't existed at all, or had been so irrelevant to the siege that there was no point in showing them.

Now, could an archery unit make a difference? Probably, if it was a crack elite unit. From what the Chief was telling me, these guys were just hunters who shot at someone on a raft on occasion. Was I a leader? Not really. But I knew what they knew, and if anything, I wasn't that bad of a teacher.

"I don't know about leading, but I can be an adviser," I answered him.

"That is good enough for me. The archers are stationed near the infirmary, I suggest you get to them right away," he said. I gave a quick respectful bow to him before hurrying off to carry out the task laid out for me.

The archers were an…interesting group to say the least. Most of them looked like they had been pulled from the main warrior ranks and handed a simple bow. Others looked either too old or way too young to be handling anything of the kind. Trust me, coming from a teenager, that's saying something.

The youngest looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, holding a bow that was about as big as he was and struggling to hold it aloft, much less draw back on the string. On the other end of the spectrum, the oldest looked like he was in his late seventies or so and was leaning on his bow like it was a cane. He gave off the impression that he'd break a hip just standing up right, much less firing an arrow.

Most of the archers were firing at some makeshift targets that had been set up against a low ice wall. While all of the targets had arrows sticking out of them, there were several embedded in the wall behind them, and virtually none of them were in the preferred target ring. None of them really looked like they knew what they were doing.

"I suppose I should be grateful they're all firing in the same direction," I muttered to myself as I unslung my pack from my shoulder and began the task of putting my bow together.

"Hey, who are you suppose to be?" one of the ones closer to my age said when they finally took notice of my presence. I didn't answer, put rather picked at the drawstring like it was a guitar, testing it. Satisfied, I nocked an arrow and walked forward, past the guys who were starting to cluster around. I picked my target; a human sized mannequin that looked like it had been stolen from the training huts for the healers.

With smooth, practiced ease, I drew the arrow back, held it for a heartbeat, and then let it fly. It sailed the distance in the blink of an eye, striking the mannequin dead center in the throat. A lot of murmurs came from those who were watching. Yes, it was technically a kill shot, but it was also well above the bull's-eye someone had pained in the center of the chest.

Drawing another arrow, I nocked and fired again, and again, and again, repeating the process until I had created an arrow smiley face in the target's head. Sure I was showing off, but I was also proving that my first shot wasn't a fluke, and that I actually knew what I was doing.

"Whoa, who are you? None of us have ever shot like that," the archer who had first spoken up asked. I turned and found that most if not all of the archers had taken to watching me.

"My name is Morgan Wood, and we got a lot of work to do."

 **And cut. This chapter would have been longer, but we're getting into the actual events of the Siege now, and I felt that this was a good stopping point. Next time, the big final battle begins. What did you guys think of the new developments? Let me know; Drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys, I'm back with the final chapter of Morgan's Odyssey: Water. Let's get into it, shall we?**

"Do you think we'll make it through this?" I asked. I was sitting in the infirmary, watching as the face of my compass spun around and pointed in all directions. This far north, this close to the Pole, the tool was basically useless.

"What's the worst that can happen? We die? Been there, done that," Kate said as she slid her scimitar through a belt made from a shash. She was wearing a set of leather armor, and was now trying to drape a fur cape over her shoulders. It wasn't going well, as she was still getting use to the use of only one arm.

"You're not actually thinking about going out there and fighting, are you?" I asked.

"Yes, numbnut. I'm going out to face the entire Fire Nation fleet with one arm and a sword," she replied, rolling the shoulder that was lacking an arm as if to make her point. I gave her a glare for her sarcasm.

"So what exactly is your plan?"

"I'm guarding the infirmary until they get the sick and wounded to safer parts of the city," she said.

"That shouldn't be too much of a problem," I said.

"It shouldn't. But when has anything ever gone right for the two of us?" she asked.

"Fair enough," I conceded.

"So what about you, mister bow hunter? Do you think we'll make it through this?" Kate asked as she finally got the cloak settled on her shoulders in the manner she wanted. I looked down at my boots and gave a half hearted shrug.

"Honestly? I have no idea. It's not dying I'm worried about…it's…it's those we'll leave behind if we do," I said. Kate paused in what she was doing and narrowed her eyes at me.

"You're not just talking about the friends you've made, are you? You're talking about someone in particular," she said. I just shrugged again, and kept looking at my boots. Her gaze didn't leave me, however, I could still feel it boring into me.

"Don't tell me, you've gone and fallen for someone, haven't you?" she asked.

"Spare me the drama," I said with a huff and a roll of my eyes. But Kate was having none of it.

"Yeah, you have. You're little dodge just now only proves it. So who is it? Some local girl who caught your eye the right way?"

"Kate…" I sighed, my patience wearing thin. The redhead was on a roll now, and there was no stopping her.

"No, no, it's not that. Someone you've known for a while. Hmm. It's not Aang is it?"

"Kate!"

"No? Maybe Sokka? You two always seem to be at each others throats like an old married couple," she said.

"Jesus, Kate, no! I don't dig guys, at all," I replied, highly annoyed and rapidly approaching pissed off now. But the undercover firebender seemed to have caught something in my outburst.

"Hm. So there IS someone, but we've already ruled out Sokka and Aang. That just leaves…" she trailed off for a moment before breaking out into a huge grin, "Oh my God, it's Katara isn't it?"

"I'm not having this conversation with you," I said, turning away. Despite this, my ears burned and I'm sure my face was the shade of a ripe tomato.

"It IS, isn't it? Well how about that, you've fallen for," she stopped abruptly, as if something new was dawning on her.

"Morgan, you have fallen for Katara, haven't you," she said. The way she said it, it was like she already knew the answer, and was praying that I would simply give her a different one. I sighed and let my shoulders slump.

"Yeah, I have," I admitted.

"That's…that's not good," she said. I didn't bother correcting her, I didn't even bother answering her.

"Morgan, you know what's at stake here. What you're risking, it could change everything," she said.

"Don't you think I know that?" I asked as I whirled to face her, "You have no idea how many times I've had this argument with myself. Us being here, it's already changed so much. What harm is there in changing it a little more?"

"What about Aang, huh? You're gonna break that poor kid's heart for your own selfish reasons," she accused.

"I can't control how I feel, damnit!" I defended.

"He's already lost so much. Don't you think he deserves to get the girl, at least?"

"And what about us, huh? We've both lost just as much as he has, and still we stayed on the path of good all the same. What makes him more entitled to a happy ending than us?" I asked.

"It's not right, Morgan," she answered.

"We're not dictated by a script someone wrote in a different world, Kate. These are our actual lives now, and we should have the choice to do what we want with those lives, not just be regulated to some glorified third wheel," I said. Kate gave me a look that I couldn't quite decipher.

"You really do feel for her, don't you," she said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes. I do," I replied as I clenched my bow so tightly my knuckles turned white, "I feel horrible for feeling like this, for what I'm doing. But, I can't change it, and I'm tired of fighting it." She let out another sigh, although this one seemed to be in resignation.

"I know I can't talk you out of it, so the only thing I'm gonna say is be careful, alright? Cause you're right, we're not dictated by a script. These are actual lives being effected, and I think we've already blown our second chance," she said. The sound of warning gongs being rung sounded from outside, causing both of us to look toward the door. I felt ice settle into my blood, and it wasn't because of the snowy landscape around us.

"They're here," Kate said. I gave a single, solum nod.

"Let's go to work."

* * *

The first day of the Siege for me was spent putting out fires. I don't mean that in a metaphorical way either, I was running around the lower city the entire day helping put out fires that had been started by fireballs the warships had been launching at the city. By the time the sky was orange with the sinking sun, I was close to collapsing from exhaustion.

The archers I had been put in charge of really had nothing to do at this point in time, as the Fire Navy ships had been out of range the entire time, and had even dropped anchor for the evening well beyond said range. So, we were regulated to support rolls while we waited for the ships to get closer. That primarily meant dragging sick and wounded to the upper levels of the city, or helping with damage control as it was in my case.

I had just finished putting out another hut fire when I was found by Katara and Princess Yue. Even in the failing light, Yue seemed to shine, and I found myself unable to look at her for very long without my eyes hurting. Despite this, I had to admire the Princess. She was taking a very big risk coming this close to the outer wall.

Katara and I didn't say anything, but rather just gave each other a tired half hug. There was no time for romance or anything like that. We were just happy that the other was alright. Aang didn't look much better when he and Appa returned. Both of them collapsed from exhaustion the second they touched down.

"I can't do it," he said in a defeated tone, "I must have taken out a dozen ships, but they still kept coming."

"But you have to, you're the Avatar," Yue said.

"I'm just a kid," Aang replied. I couldn't find any words to say, so I just placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a pat of reassurance. It wasn't much, but it was all I could do at the moment.

"You should rest and get something to eat. They'll start attacking again at dawn," I said. Aang nodded and sluggishly got to his feet and began to head off. I looked at Katara before nodding my head in Aang's direction, silently asking her to keep an eye on him. She nodded and went after the airbender, leaving Yue with me.

"I can't thank you enough for your efforts today," she said. I simply bowed my head slightly.

"A soldier following orders, your highness. Tomorrow will be the day of reckoning," I replied. The princess cocked her head slightly as she regarded me.

"You don't think very highly of yourself," she noted.

"I'm not a hero, if that's what you mean," I said.

"An unusual trait for a warrior of the Water Tribe."

"I wasn't born Water Tribe," I said.

"And yet, you have proven yourself to be more than capable," she replied. I just gave a shrug at that.

"There are others more capable than me," I said.

"Being as you are a foreigner, do you know what significance the name Amarok is in our Tribe?" she asked. Again I shrugged. Everything that had happened over the past few days had gone by so fast that I hadn't really had a chance to think about it.

"You'll have to forgive me, I know almost nothing about Water Tribe lore," I said.

"In Northern Tradition, Amarok was the name of the great warrior hero that united the Tribes in a time of crisis," Yue explained. I frowned at her description, it sounded a lot like the story that Sokka had told me.

"You mean the White Wolf?" I asked. Yue nodded.

"Yes. I thought you said you didn't know Water Tribe lore."

"I don't. Sokka gave me a basic run down of the story one time to explain why Katara reacted the way she did to some information I gave her," I explained.

"You must understand what a great honor it is for my father to bestow this name upon you," Yue said. I looked out over the city in the failing light, and beyond that to the fleet of iron ships that rested beyond the outer wall.

"I intended to fight to my last defended the people like everyone else, I will not desert my post," I reassured her. As I turned back to look at her, I simply couldn't ignore it. The sun wasn't up to blame anymore. Yue was literally glowing a soft pale light. It wasn't the moon either, as the light was coming from within her. She shined like an angel that had come down to observe the battlefield.

"Okay, how are you doing that?" I asked. The Princess of the North gave me a confused look.

"Doing what?"

"THAT," I said, motioning toward her, "you're glowing. Literally." Yue looked down at herself and then back up at me, the look of confusion not leaving her face.

"No, I'm not. Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes, yes you are. You look like a human glow stick," I answered.

"You've had a long day. You need some rest," Yue said.

"I don't…" I started before stopping. An idea clicked in my head. I remembered Yue's backstory from the show. She had been touched by the Moon Spirit, and contained some of it's life force within her. Seeing as how I had been able to see Aang when he was in the Spirit World, it wasn't that much of stretch for me to be able to see the part of the Spirit within her.

"Does your mother have white hair?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"No. I was touched by the Moon Spirit when I was newborn, some of it's life is in me," she said. I looked away from her and back out over the city.

"A few months ago, we stopped in a village that was being attacked by an angry Spirit. It took Sokka, and Aang went into the Spirit World after them. But the thing was, I could still SEE Aang, even though he wasn't in his body anymore," I explained.

"You think that you're able to see the fragment of the Moon Spirit that's in me?" she asked, putting two and two together. I shrugged.

"Better explanation than going crazy," I said. Yue gave me a strange look.

"You're a very unusual person, Mr. Wood," she said.

"You have no idea, your highness."

* * *

The bombardment picked back up at daybreak. Aang, Katara, and Yue headed deeper into the city, heading to a spiritual place where Aang could try and communicate with the Moon and Ocean Spirits in order to gain their help. I wished them luck before taking up a defensive position near the outer wall with the other archers. The Fire Nation was going to blitz us in order to take as much ground as they could before sundown.

I found myself on a low rampart a short distance from the main wall. The massive ice structure was crumbling from having taken so many hits, but still was ultimately still standing. By now it had mostly been abandoned as it threatened to collapse under it's own weight, much less the pounding the Fire Navy was giving it. Even the waterbenders had given up trying to repair it, deciding to save their strength for the fighting that was yet to come.

"Fire Nation armor is weak at the neck, aim for their necks!" I yelled to archers. We hadn't had near the amount of time to train as I would have liked. My only hope was that their aim was true, and they wouldn't run off as soon as the first troops landed. Many of them had steely gazes, watching the wall as they nocked their arrows and prepared for what was to come.

As the low groan of iron scraping against ice came up over the sound of the fireballs, I raised the hood on my parka and a scarf over my nose and mouth. I didn't look any different from my fellow warriors who were prepared for battle. A section of ice on the wall fell away as a massive metal wedge appeared. It dropped away from the rest of the ship, slamming down on the inside of the wall and forming a ramp. The roar of men yelling filled the air as the first Fire Nation troops stormed out of the dark bowls as the ship and down the ramp.

"LOOSE!" The arrows flew, and thankfully flew true. Several troopers dropped like flies, having been struck by the volley of arrows. Like a well oiled machine, we nocked another set of arrows and fired again, with similar results. More fireballs flew overhead, followed closely by the ramps of two more ships appearing in wall, one on either side of the first.

"Pick your targets and fire at will!" I yelled as I let another arrow fly. Several warriors rushed out to meet the Fire Nation soldiers, but it was quickly turning against us. A few more ships, and soon these positions would be overrun. I was on autopilot, drawing an arrow and firing it before moving on to a new target, barely even taking the time to see if I had hit the original.

Yells, battle cries, and the screams of the wounded filled the air as both sides clashed in a viscous melee. I struggled to keep the panic forming in my gut from rising up and consuming me, forcing myself to continue going through the motions. Draw, aim, fire, repeat. Sometimes I hit someone, sometimes I missed. It didn't matter much either way, I had to keep firing.

"Incoming!" I barely had time to register the warning before a fireball smashed in to the rampart I was standing on. The resulting blast sent me skyward, scattering the archers in the process. I came down in the partial remains of an igloo, landing in a pile of snow and ice. Forcing myself to sit up, I waited for my head to clear and the world to stop spinning.

A few Water Tribe warriors ran past, heading deeper into the city and motioning for me to follow them. We were being driven back now, that much was clear. I slowly got to my feet and looked in the direction they had come from. Red and black armor of the Fire Nation moved about at the end of the street I was on. They weren't coming this way yet, but they would be soon.

Turning, I began to fall back and follow the others. It was smarter to regroup at the secondary defenses rather than try to fight them off single handedly. I needed to restock on my supply of arrows anyway, otherwise I'd have to resort to hand to hand, and frankly I wanted to avoid that as long as I could.

More fireballs streaked overhead as I spent I don't know how long bobbing and weaving my way though the streets. Most of the time was trying to avoid the random Fire Nation platoon or two. Thankfully the city's layout seemed to be slowing them down. It gave Aang more time to find help, and allowed us to stall until sundown.

The sky was turning pink when I finally reached the secondary line. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a sunset in all my life. Finding a place behind the wall, I sat down and rested. There were wounded scattered about, some of them being tended to, others having just been left to bleed. I realized that I had plopped down in the middle of a makeshift aid station.

"Hey, if you aren't wounded, you need to move. We need the space," a healer said. I just simply stared up at her for a moment before I forced myself to get to my feet.

"Why aren't these guys at the infirmary?" I asked.

"The main infirmary was overrun, and no one's gotten the secondary set up yet," she replied. I blinked as the exhaustion left me, being replaced with a sense of dread.

"Did everyone get out?" I asked.

"I don't know, kid. Now if you'll excuse me, I got work to do," she said before ushering over a heavily bandaged warrior. A sense of urgency settled into me as I scrambled to get some more arrows for my quiver. Kate would have held on to the last, defending the infirmary. I had to get there, I had to make sure she was alright.

Without waiting for orders, I slipped off into the city, making my way toward the infirmary. Looking back on it now, it was a very foolish and short sighted plan. There was a very good chance that Kate had fallen back with the others to the secondary defenses, and all I was doing was checking on an abandoned building.

But my emotions had blinded me. Kate was one of the last connections I had with my home. One of the few people I could talk to about and feel like they truly understood what I meant. If she was killed, I would be alone all over again.

Reaching the infirmary, I didn't find any Fire Nation soldiers. Well, not any that were alive anyway. The floor was littered with the bodies of fallen enemy soldiers. That wasn't all though. In several of the beds were wounded Water Tribe warriors that hadn't been evacuated in time. They had been killed where they lay.

Propped up along the far wall was Kate. Scorch marks covered the floor and walls around her. In front of her was a half circle of fallen Fire Nation soldiers. In the center of it all was an officer who had Kate's scimitar sticking out of his chest. I hurried over to her side and knelt down. She was still breathing, thankfully, but she was badly burned.

"Talk about going down fighting," I muttered to myself. Kate looked up at me tiredly. The left side of her face was an angry red, her eye was swollen shut, and a tickle of blood was leaking from the corner of her mouth.

"Morgan?"

"Ya, that's me," I replied as I bent a stream of water from some nearby ice and began to try and patch her up. A hand from her stopped me though.

"That's not gonna do me much good," she said before looking down. I followed her eyesight and realized that I had missed one rather important detail. There was a jian sword sticking out of her stomach.

"Oh, no," I said, dropping the water.

"Yeah. There's no fixing this," she said.

"Damnit, Kate," I muttered.

"Check out the other guy," she said before coughing, motioning toward the dead officer in the process. I sat down and looked on in shocked disbelief. Taking the sword out would only cause her more pain, and speed up her bleeding out. My healing skills were no where near the level needed to fix a wound such as this, and getting her back to the aid station required dragging her through streets crawling with Fire Nation soldiers. We'd never make it alive.

Her hand found mine, and she clenched me close like she was afraid I'd disappear.

"Sing me something from home," she said. I blinked and looked at her, confused.

"What?"

"Sing me something, like you did out on the ice," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I, I don't…"

"Please, Jake. Please," she begged, her voice sounding afraid. I swallowed and nodded, trying to come up with a song that I could use. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be a little kid at home again, to be with my parents, listen to my Dad's odd taste in music.

 _"I was a PFC on search patrol, huntin' Charlie down. It was in the jungle wars of '65."_

 _"My weapon jammed and I got stuck way out and all alone, and I could hear the enemy movin' in close outside."_

 _"Just then I heard a twig snap and I grabbed my empty gun, and I dug in scared while I counted down my fate."_

 _"And then a big Marine, a giant with a pair of friendly eyes, appeared there at my shoulder and said 'Wait'."_

I'm not entirely sure why I chose this song in particular. Maybe because it was one of my Dad's favorites, and it was something I could find soothing from my childhood. Whether or not Kate approved of it, I'll never know. All I know is that she made no effort to stop me.

 _"When he came in close beside me, he said 'Don't worry son, I'm here. If Charlie wants to tango, now he'll have two to dodge.'"_

 _"I said 'Well, thanks a lot!' I told him my name and asked him his. He said 'The boys just call me Camouflage.'"_

 _"Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Camouflage. Things are never quite the way they seem."_

 _"Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Camouflage. I was awfully glad to see this big Marine."_

Kate's grip on my hand tightened, but her gaze remained on the far wall behind me. There were tears in my eyes now, and I struggled to keep myself singing and not break down.

 _"Well we fought all night, side by side, we took our battle stance and I wondered how the bullets missed this man."_

 _"Cause they seemed to go right through him, just as if he wasn't there, and in the morning we both took a chance and ran."_

 _"And it was near the riverbank when the ambush came on top of us, and I thought it was the end, that we were had."_

 _"Then a bullet with my name on it came buzzin' though a bush, and that big Marine, he just swat with his hand. Just like it was a fly."_

 _"Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Camouflage. Things are never quite the way they seem."_

 _"Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Camouflage. This was an awfully strange Marine."_

 _"When he led me out of danger, I saw my camp and waved goodbye."_

 _"He just winked at me from the jungle and then he was gone."_

 _"When I got back to my HQ, I told 'em about my night, and the battle I'd spent with a big Marine named Camouflage."_

 _"When I said his name, a soldier gulped and the medic took my arm, and led me to a green tent on the right."_

 _"He said 'You may be tellin' true, boy, but this here is Camouflage. And he's been right here since he passed away last night.'"_

 _"'But before he went he went, he said Semper Fi, and said his only wish was to save a young Marine caught in a barrage.'"_

 _"'So here, take his dog tag, son, I know he'd want you to have it now.' And we both said a prayer for a big Marine named Camouflage."_

Kate's hand went limp in mine, and her head rolled off to one side. I didn't need to double check what I could already feel beneath my fingertips. Her pulse had vanished. Kate was gone. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I forced myself to say the last of the song

 _"Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Camouflage. Things are never quite the way they seem."_

 _"Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Camouflage. This was an awfully big Marine."_

With this done, I reached up and closed her good eye before I finally broke down. Her limp hand was still clenched in mine, and I sat there on my knees amongst the dead, sobbing. Outside, the sounds of battle echoed from around the city. I didn't acknowledge it as I sat there, crying like the child morning a dead friend that I was.

This went on for I don't know how long. But when I finally managed to get myself back under control somewhat, it was like something had snapped in me. I felt a growing, boiling rage building inside me. This wasn't a destructive, berserker rage. This was a cold, calculated, killer's rage. Placing her hand in her lap, I stood and staked my way toward the door, slinging my bow across my midsection in the process.

The moon had turned a blood red color when I stepped back out onto the streets. It was if nature was reflecting my emotions at the moment. This wasn't the case, I knew in the back of my mind that the Moon Spirit was currently in danger from Zhao. But at that point, I didn't care. I was seeing red, both literally and figuratively.

I came across a pair of Fire Nation soldiers, stragglers who were struggling to catch up with their friends. They never saw me coming as I drew my tomahawk and brought them both down with heavy blows to their heads. This was how it went for the longest time as I went through what I can only describe as a blood rage. Every Fire Nation soldier I came across suffered the same fate. Be it by tomahawk, my hunting knife, or sometimes I just straight up shot them with my revolver. I didn't care. At the moment I was a ferial, rabid animal that would kill anything that crossed it.

It got even worse when the moon went out all together. I think it had to do with the fact that I knew what was about to happen to Yue, and there was nothing I could do to save her. So my rage just got worse. I try not to think about what happened during the darkness. It was brutal, and it makes me sick to my stomach. I'm still haunted by the screams of the Fire Nation soldiers as they met their fates.

When the moon finally came back a short time later, I realized I was standing on the edge of a canal. Not only that, but I could hear the sounds of a bending duel going on nearby. The other sounds of battle had faded, leaving the city in an eerie silence. Following the sound of the fight, I realized that there was a pair of firebenders duking it out on a nearby bridge. Not just any firebenders, Zuko and Zhao to be exact.

That cold rage flooded my chest when I saw the side burned Admiral. This was the man who was responsible for Yue, for Kate, for all the suffering that had been inflicted upon this Tribe for the past several days. I stalked up behind them, neither one realizing I was there as they were too engaged in their duel.

Zuko let out a large blast of fire, knocking Zhao completely off his feet. The Admiral looked up into the sky beyond the Prince, spying the silver orb of the full moon.

"It can't be!" he cried with disbelief. All of his work, his ambition, it had been for nothing. His goal had been snatched from his grasp before his very eyes. He was so focused on the moon that he never saw my tomahawk blade until it was buried in his jugular. Zhao let out a choked grabble of a surprise, and even Zuko leapt back at my sudden appearance.

Without a word, I took my hunting knife and cut off his top knot, taking it like some kind of trophy. That done, I returned my knife to it's place on my belt before I hauled Zhao to his feet and dragged him to the railing.

"I hope wherever you end up, Hell is a vacation compared to it," I said before shoving him over the side of the bridge and into the freezing waters below. I didn't even bother recovering my tomahawk, I just let it go with him as he fell into the black water and vanished from sight. Turning, I found Zuko looking at me with his jaw agape.

"You should go. They'll be taking back the city by now," I said.

"Why? Why let me go?" he asked. I didn't look at him, but rather toward the pink horizon of the rising sun.

"There's been enough death tonight, Prince Zuko. Go, find your Uncle, make your escape. We'll have a showdown later if you want," I said. Zuko looked like he wanted to say something, but instead gave a curt nod before slipping away into the dawn. With him gone, I took a chance to look down at myself. I was covered in soot, blood and carnage, and I was exhausted.

The Siege of the North was over. I had survived to continue on my journey. But what had it cost me? I looked down at the wolf medallion that Kate had given to me. She had been so excited to head out with us, but this whole thing had cost her the ultimate price. I closed my fist around the medallion.

"To the end, Kate. For both of us, I'll see to it," I promised.

* * *

Thousands of miles away, a young woman clad in red and black armor was bowed before a wall of flames. Behind the fire sat the outline of a single man. He was stiff and upright, yet steeped in shadow. Just as a proper ruler should be.

"Iroh is a traitor, and your brother Zuko is a failure. I have a task for you," the raspy voice of the figure said. The young woman looked up at the figure. There was steel in her amber eyes, and a cold, confident smile on her lips.

She would succeed where her pathetic brother and uncle had failed.

 **And that's a wrap for this portion of the story. I hoped you all enjoyed it as I did writing it. Don't worry, Morgan's story doesn't end here. Be sure to keep an eye out for Morgan's Odyssey: Earth. In the meantime, remember to read, review, and let me know what you liked or didn't like about this chapter and the story overall.**

 **Long Days and Pleasant Nights to you all.**

 **-Jack.**


	18. Update

**Hey guys, Jack here with an update. The first chapter of Morgan's Odyssey: Earth is up. You can find it either on my page or under the Avatar: Last Airbender selection. So, head on over there, check it out, read, review, and I'll see you all down the line.**


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